Adam Baske, business development manager for Portland s Running Tide Technologies, holds a tube wrapped in early-stage kelp. Entwined with biodegradable rope, the kelp will grow in the sea off Scarborough and once full-grown, sunk to the ocean bottom. (Fred Bever/Maine Public)
The fight against climate change has long focused on scaling back humanity’s emissions of planet-warming carbon-dioxide. But a movement is growing to think bigger and find ways to actually pull existing CO2 out of the air and lock it up somewhere safe.
One Maine startup has an innovative approach that’s drawing attention from scientists and investors: grow massive amounts of seaweed and then bury it at the bottom of the deepest sea, where it will sequester carbon for thousands of years.
The fight against climate change has long focused on scaling back humanity’s emissions of planet-warming carbon-dioxide. But a movement is growing to think
Over the past few years, as companies have come under steadily increasing pressure to tackle climate change, nature-based solutions have emerged as a particularly exciting method for shrinking corporate carbon footprints.
Until recently, the concept of blue carbon attracted little attention outside academic and think-tank circles. We may be at a turning point, thanks to the actions of some forward-thinking businesses.
February 1, 2021
Forests of giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera, commonly grow in the cold waters along the coast of California. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock
This article originally appeared in the State of Green Business 2021. You can download the entire report here.
Over the past few years, as companies have come under steadily increasing pressure to tackle climate change, nature-based solutions have emerged as a particularly exciting method for shrinking corporate carbon footprints. Investing in forests can be a win-win that both sequesters carbon and regenerates nature. That’s why one recent survey recorded almost $160 million spent on forest offsets in 2019. And a newer option, soil carbon, also is generating investment from multiple corporate sectors.