How We Can Save The Oceans And How They Can Save Us
BBC Earth|March - April 2020
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
How We Can Save The Oceans And How They Can Save Us

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.

Denne historien er fra March - April 2020-utgaven av BBC Earth.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra March - April 2020-utgaven av BBC Earth.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA BBC EARTHSe alt
World's First Malaria Vaccine
BBC Earth

World's First Malaria Vaccine

The World Health Organization’s director-general hails ‘historic moment’ as mass immunisation of African children begins

time-read
2 mins  |
Volume 14 - Issue 2
Is River Pollution Putting The Species In Jeopardy Again?
BBC Earth

Is River Pollution Putting The Species In Jeopardy Again?

Ten years ago, it was jubilantly announced that o ers had returned to every county in England. But is river pollution putting the species in jeopardy again?

time-read
10+ mins  |
Volume 14 - Issue 2
The Big Burnout
BBC Earth

The Big Burnout

Long hours, low pay and a lack of appreciation — among other things — can make for a stressful workplace and lead to burnout. It’s something we should all be concerned about, because over half of the workforce reports feeling it

time-read
10 mins  |
Volume 14 - Issue 2
Putting Nature To Rights
BBC Earth

Putting Nature To Rights

More countries are enshrining the right to a clean environment into law. So if a company or government is impinging upon that right, you could take them to court

time-read
10 mins  |
Volume 14 - Issue 2
Mega Spaceship: Is It Possible For China To Build A Kilometre-Long Spacecraft?
BBC Earth

Mega Spaceship: Is It Possible For China To Build A Kilometre-Long Spacecraft?

Buoyed on by its successful Moon missions, China has launched a five-year study to investigate the possibility of building the biggest-ever spacecraft

time-read
4 mins  |
Volume 14 - Issue 2
Are We Getting Happier?
BBC Earth

Are We Getting Happier?

Enjoying more good days than bad? Feel like that bounce in your step’s getting bigger? HELEN RUSSELL looks into whether we’re all feeling more cheery…

time-read
3 mins  |
Volume 14 - Issue 2
“Unless the Japanese got the US off their backs in the Pacific, they believed they would face complete destruction”
BBC Earth

“Unless the Japanese got the US off their backs in the Pacific, they believed they would face complete destruction”

Eighty years ago Japan’s surprise raid on Pearl Harbor forced the US offthe fence and into the Second World War. Ellie Cawthorne is making a new HistoryExtra podcast series about the attack, and she spoke to Christopher Harding about the long roots of Japan’s disastrous decision

time-read
10+ mins  |
Volume 14 - Issue 2
Your Mysterious Brain
BBC Earth

Your Mysterious Brain

Science has mapped the surface of Mars and translated the code for life. By comparison, we know next to nothing about what’s between our ears. Over the next few pages, we ask leading scientists to answer some of the most important questions about our brains…

time-read
10+ mins  |
Volume 14 - Issue 2
Why Do We Fall In Love?
BBC Earth

Why Do We Fall In Love?

Is it companionship, procreation or something more? DR ANNA MACHIN reveals what makes us so willing to become targets for Cupid’s arrow

time-read
2 mins  |
Volume 14 - Issue 2
Detecting the dead
BBC Earth

Detecting the dead

Following personal tragedy, the creator of that most rational of literary figures, Sherlock Holmes, developed an obsession with spiritualism. Fiona Snailham and Anna Maria Barry explore the supernatural interests of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

time-read
7 mins  |
Volume 14 - Issue 2