It’s hard to keep track of all these colorful new deals environmentalists keep talking about.
The Green New Deal is a congressional resolution that aims to achieve a 100-percent clean energy future in a way that is “fair and just” to all communities. But, this resolution largely neglects to include the oceans. That’s where a Blue New Deal comes in. It calls for the inclusion of oceans and coastal communities in the Green New Deal.
Now that we hopefully have our colors straight, just how do we integrate this Blue New Deal into the Green New Deal? In a 2020 journal article from Conservation Letters, economists, geographers, marine biologists, and ecologists teamed up to answer that question. The group identified four main areas of the Green New Deal that could be extended to ocean and coastal environments: offshore renewable energy, sustainable transportation, food security, and habitat restoration.
A Big Fan of Renewable Energy
If you’ve ever been on a boat out at sea or lounging on the beach enjoying the summer sun, you know it’s windy. Your observation aligns with a broader trend: it is often windier offshore than onshore. Therefore a good place to build wind farms is actually offshore.
“Thanet Offshore Wind Farm” by Vattenfall Nederland is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
Utilizing the power of offshore winds as a renewable energy source not only increases the amount of clean power available for the grid, but also balances out other renewable energy sources. Solar energy production tends to fall in the late afternoon as the sun sets, but this is the time when offshore winds are their strongest. Late afternoon also happens to be when electricity demand is highest, so having a steady power supply from offshore wind farms would help to support the grid during its peak demand.
Whatever Floats Your Boat
When you think of transportation, it is usually cars and planes that are seen as the biggest climate culprits. But what about boats?
Maritime transportation is responsible for around 3% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per year. That is twice the emissions from air travel. Furthermore, maritime transportation plays a large role in international trade, accounting for the transport of 80% of global goods.
“Panama Canal – Cargo Ships 2” by thinkpanama is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
The researchers of the study make clear that including sustainable maritime transportation is key to effective climate policy. This includes modifying ship designs for efficient travel, powering ships with renewable energy sources, and focusing on port-based incentives to shift the industry to emit less carbon dioxide.
Kelp Wanted
Growing up, I never liked seaweed. It felt slimy between my toes and made for a messy and sometimes smelly day at the beach. But, seaweed could be a valuable ocean-based climate solution.
“Kelp and Sardines” by NOAA’s National Ocean Service is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Seaweed farming, specifically kelp farming, is one of the fastest growing forms of aquaculture worldwide. A good source of dietary protein and fiber, growing seaweed also yields fewer CO2 emissions than land-based meat production. Seaweed has the potential to join the ranks of other plant-based meat alternatives in people’s everyday diets. Additionally, seaweed can be used as a fertilizer due to its abundance of phosphorus, nitrogen, and minerals. That could help conventional farms shift to more sustainable practices.
Save the Bees, Trees, and Coastlines Please
You’ve surely heard of people planting trees to attempt to mitigate the worst effects of climate change, even the popular Youtuber MrBeast stepped up to rally people to plant trees. But trees aren’t the only thing that need planting.
The restoration of our coastlines needs to be a part of our climate policy action plan too. Coastlines and wetlands protect against flooding and erosion, provide habitats for many species, and serve as natural barriers for the worst of storm damage impacts.
“Blackwater estuary” by frank.shepherd is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
While there are many beach nourishment, reef restoration, and other habitat restoration programs underway in the United States, the researchers caution against the “quick fix” programs, which could end up doing more harm than good. Restoration efforts should focus on the long-term benefit of both the ecosystems themselves and society as a whole. Simply building seawalls to protect such areas is not enough of a solution.
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A Green New Deal cannot exist without a Blue New Deal, and a Blue New Deal cannot exist without a Green one. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel for ocean-based climate solutions; we only need to tweak existing strategies and apply them to our oceans and coastlines too.