How We Can Save The Oceans And How They Can Save Us

Seven-tenths of the world is covered by the oceans. They put food on our plates, provide up to 85 per cent of the oxygen we breathe and regulate the climate. But human activity is putting that at risk. On 25 September, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change presented a report on the oceans that made dire reading. It said that even if greenhouse gas emissions declined sharply and global warming was limited to less than 2°C, sea levels could still rise by 30 to 60cm by 2100. Plus, we’re emptying the oceans of animals, having passed the point of ‘peak fish’ in 1992 when total global catch began a relentless decline. A third of marine mammals are at risk of extinction. Our carbon emissions have made the oceans 300 per cent more acidic since pre-industrial times, threatening aquatic life in many ways. But many people are working to turn things round. “There are lots of solutions out there,” says conservation scientist Dr Heather Koldewey, from the Zoological Society of London. “It is quite extraordinary, the power of good in the world.”

- Dr Helen Scales

PART ONE

HERE ARE SOME OF THE BRIGHTEST AND BEST INITIATIVES THAT HOPE TO SAFEGUARD OUR OCEANS’ FUTURE

THE SMART MACHINE THAT CATCHES PLASTIC AT THE SOURCE

Plastic particles have become ubiquitous in our seas. They have been spotted in remote areas of the poles and in the deepest ocean trenches.

While a number of projects focus on removing plastics from the seas, tech start-up Ichthion is developing a system for extracting plastic waste from rivers. Rivers play a big part in the plastic problem in the oceans, because they sweep tonnes of waste from land out to sea. “What we’re doing hundreds of thousands of miles inland really does have an impact,” explains conservation scientist Dr. Heather Koldewey, who recently took part in an expedition that tracked plastic waste along the River Ganges.

Ichthion’s Azure device sits on a river’s surface and diverts floating objects towards the river banks, where a conveyor belt lifts them up and runs them past a camera. An artificial intelligence algorithm then recognises the shapes and colours of different plastics and packaging brands. This enables researchers to pinpoint where rubbish is coming from and what types of plastics are most common. “Without data, it’s like fighting against a problem that we don’t understand,” says Inty Grønneberg, CEO of Ichthion. The recovered plastic, up to 80 tonnes a day, is then sorted and sent off for reuse and recycling.

The first Azure systems are due to be installed next year in rivers in Ecuador, where it’s hoped they will stem the flow of plastic heading towards the Galapagos Islands.

Another device that the Ichthion team is working on will attach to ships and filter plastic particles from the water, an idea inspired by basking sharks that sieve plankton through their gills.