Quick Dips
Curated topical articles on the Blue Economy

The Tools for Maritime Emissions Reduction

David Hume, The Liquid Grid Shipping & Ports

The maritime industry is in need of fixing. It must find new ways to move cargo with less emissions. However, just like repairing a bicycle’s shifter, we can’t rely on a single tool to get the job done.

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How to have your fish and eat it

World Ocean Initiative, The Economist Group Fisheries & Aquaculture

The first blue paper commissioned by the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy finds that, if mariculture is better managed, the world can both produce more food, and do so profitably.

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220-lb. 'Litter Ball' Found Inside a Dead Sperm Whale's Belly

Mindy Weisberger Fisheries & Aquaculture Plastics & Pollution

When workers with a whale strandings agency in Scotland performed a necropsy on a recently beached sperm whale, they found a gruesome surprise: The animal had died with around 220 lbs. (100 kilograms) of trash in its stomach.

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5 Ways Harmful Fisheries Subsidies Impact Coastal Communities

Michael Crispino Fisheries & Aquaculture

Our planet’s health—and our own well-being—is dependent on a vibrant ocean rich with natural resources. Oceans provide but must also thrive. Sustainable fishing can be an effective way to balance the needs of people and nature by protecting complex, interconnected ecosystems while providing food security and livelihoods for coastal communities.

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'Zombie in the Water’: New Greenpeace Report Warns of Deadly Ghost Fishing Gear

Olivia Rosane Fisheries & Aquaculture Plastics & Pollution

Discarded plastic fishing equipment, dubbed "ghost gear," is especially dangerous to marine life because it was designed to trap and kill it.

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New Report from Security Think Tank Calls For Greater Transparency in Global Fishing

Our Daily Planet Fisheries & Aquaculture

A new report from the Stimson Center, a global security think tank concludes that globally the fishing industry — particularly fishing vessels that ply waters far from their home (“the distant water fleet”) — is unsustainable and the only way to reign it in is through much greater transparency so that these vessels’ movements and catches can be more closely monitored by governments and NGOs.

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China approves seaweed-based Alzheimer's drug. It's the first new one in 17 years

By Julie Zaugg and Jared Peng, CNN Fisheries & Aquaculture

Authorities in China have approved a drug for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, the first new medicine with the potential to treat the cognitive disorder in 17 years. The seaweed-based drug, called Oligomannate, can be used for the treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer's, according to a statement from China's drug safety agency.

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A fresh look at the future of hydropower requires that we see clearly its past and present

WM. Robert Irvin Energy Solutions

As society grapples with climate change and the challenge of decarbonizing the national energy grid, proponents increasingly hold up hydropower as an indispensable part of the solution, touting it as “clean, green energy.”

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Strengthening accountability in blue finance

World Ocean Initiative, The Economist Group

As the world debates the definition of blue finance, the need to place sustainability at its centre is clear. Improving transparency and accountability in sustainable ocean projects will accelerate participation from private-sector finance.

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The World’s Oceans Need a Bailout

Noah Smith, Bloomberg Plastics & Pollution

Most environmental problems are concentrated in the area where the pollution is produced. This is good, because it’s a lot easier for a single city or country to deal with an environmental challenge than it is for the international community.There are two huge exceptions to this. The first is global warming, which (as the name implies) affects everyone. The second is the world’s oceans, most of which are not claimed as the territory of any nation or the property of any individual.

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5 Ways Sustainable Seafood Can Benefit People and the Environment

Emily Petsko, Oceana Fisheries & Aquaculture

Oceana works to save the oceans and feed the world, and we can't do that without sustainable seafood. We help our oceans thrive by promoting fishery policies that follow science-based quotas, reduce bycatch, put an end to overfishing and protect fragile habitats. These tactics not only help marine life flourish — a win in its own right — but also ensure that our oceans can continue to nourish the people who need it most.

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New biofabricated clothing made from algae goes through photosynthesis just like plants

Nicole Jewell, INHABITAT

There are products that completely revolutionize the fashion industry for their eco-friendly approach and innovative vision.

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How data transparency can help protect our oceans

Patti Harris, CEO, Bloomberg Philanthropies

This week, I traveled to Oslo to attend the 6th annual convening of Our Ocean, and after spending time with so many like-minded partners and leaders from across sectors and around the world, I’m more optimistic than ever about what’s possible for the global movement to protect the ocean.

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30 Companies and Institutional Investors Commit to Take Action to Secure a Healthy and Productive Ocean

United Nations

The signatories to the principles include the container ship and supply vessel operator A.P. Møller – Mærsk, food and beverage company PepsiCo, and Norges Bank Investment Management, which manages one of the world’s largest funds with over US$ 1 trillion in assets.

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The World’s Largest Cruise Ship Will Homeport in China. But Will It Work?

J.A. Bower Tourism

Royal Caribbean announced last week that its fifth Oasis-class ship will be named Wonder of the Seas. Perhaps more interestingly, the cruise line also announced that it will homeport in Shanghai. The 5,448-passenger new vessel, set to become the largest ship in the world at the time of its 2021 debut, will reportedly serve the Chinese market year-round.

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California needs to tap offshore wind

Dan Jacobson Energy Solutions

California needs to find a way to harness the wind off its coast to power an electric grid that will rely more than ever on clean, renewable energy.

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New report shows increasing momentum behind sustainable seafood

Marine Stewardship Council Fisheries & Aquaculture

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), responsible for the world’s leading sustainable seafood ecolabel and certification programme, has today published a report showing continued growth in the demand for and supply of sustainable seafood.

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The Carbon Intensity of My Cruise Ship Vacation

Kuni Chen Tourism

It’s nice to get away and head to the Caribbean, especially when its freezing cold here in NYC. But as I was enjoying my frosty beer and endless buffet, I started to wonder about the environmental impact of my trip. So, because I can’t help myself, I did a little research on the environmental sustainability of the cruise ship industry – with a particular focus on carbon intensity. Deep down I had a nagging concern that cruise ships might be awful for the environment. Bottom line: cruising is indeed very carbon intensive!

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Could the future of marine energy be onshore?

World Ocean Initiative Energy Solutions

Scaling up wave-energy generation to tackle climate change needs to start with smaller projects in a lower-risk environment, say experts

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An introduction to the state of wind power in the U.S.

Philip Warburg, Yale Climate Connections Energy Solutions

Advances in technology, improved economics, and broad political support are making wind power a formidable twenty-first century energy resource. Top-ranking Denmark draws 41% of its electricity from wind; Ireland follows with 28%; the European Union as a whole gets 14% of its power from wind.

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