The ocean underpins our planet’s life-supporting systems. It produces about half the oxygen on Earth, mostly from plankton, it is one of our greatest carbon sinks, and it provides food to billions. Without it, there would be no humanity. Yet humans are wreaking havoc on the ocean and the marine life within. For decades, the ocean has struggled to endure the increasing impact of human development, suffering the ravages of overfishing, pollution from plastic and other chemical substances, and the impacts from excessive greenhouse gases (GHGs) and global warming.
The number of overfished stocks has tripled during the last 50 years, and more than one third of all the world’s assessed fisheries are now pushed beyond their biological limits. Meanwhile, at least 14mn tonnes of plastic ends up in the ocean every year, with plastic accounting for 80 per cent of all marine debris found from surface waters to deep-sea sediments. But our oceans could become the next ally in the battle against global warming, providing us with clean, renewable energy while becoming a showcase for sustainability via regenerative ocean tourism and regenerative ocean farming.
The power of ocean-based energy
As a source of energy, global installed offshore wind capacity is expected to reach 630GW by 2050. It also matches the capacity factors of efficient gas-fired power plants, coal-fired power plants in some regions, and it is about double those of solar photovoltaic power. Yet, for all its potential, current capacity is still relatively low.
Ocean Winds, a 50-50 joint venture between EDPR, the renewables arm of global energy company EDP, and French utility company Engie, has set out to close the gap. More than a dozen miles off Scotland’s north-east coast, a steel platform rises high above the ocean, its surface covered in storage containers and machinery. But this is not an oil rig; it is a service area for 100 towering Ocean Winds turbines that are now supplying 1.43mn Scottish homes and businesses with clean energy.
We are facing the world’s biggest global challenge: climate change
“We are facing the world’s biggest global challenge: climate change,” says Bautista Rodriguez, Ocean Winds’ CEO. “And our objective at Ocean Winds is to keep developing one of its key solutions: offshore wind energy – reliable and secure renewable energy.”
With at least 15 projects in seven countries now under way, the company has a gross capacity of around 17GW – the equivalent of 11 nuclear power stations – which will provide renewable energy while saving millions of tonnes of CO2 emissions every year. “Both our portfolio and our international team keep growing, leading us to keep unlocking the potential of offshore wind energy all over the world,” Rodriguez says.
But Ocean Winds is also opening up greater possibilities of clean energy generation. Off the coast of Viana do Castelo in Portugal, WindFloat Atlantic is continental Europe’s first floating offshore wind farm, generating 222GWh of clean energy between its inauguration in 2020 and August 2023.
Floating offshore wind farms can tap into the ocean’s strongest and most consistent winds, which are located over waters more than 60m deep. And because the turbines and platforms can be assembled in port and towed to their final location, they are cost efficient and have less impact on marine life than fixed turbines during construction.
As the world wakes up to the ocean’s potential to provide renewable energy, businesses should turn their expertise and know-how to help heal the seas as part of an energy transition based on environmental equity.
Future-fit ocean farming
Regenerative ocean farming has the potential to restore the world’s fish stocks while using seaweed and other marine plants as a source of nutrition and of carbon sequestration. “The ocean is an invaluable resource and home to some of the world’s most incredible species,” says Celine Cousteau, a documentary filmmaker and a leading champion for the environment. “It is also a great source of hope for our future.” Coastal ecosystems such as mangroves and seagrasses are highly efficient when it comes to storing carbon, and can absorb up to 20 times more CO2 per acre than forests on land. Kelp is particularly efficient at capturing carbon, and efforts are underway to grow the plant on a greater scale.
The ocean is an invaluable resource and home to some of the world’s most incredible species
In just one example of how regenerative ocean farming can address both environmental and social issues, GreenWave, a not-for-profit organisation in Connecticut, produces both shellfish and seaweed while benefiting the surrounding marine environment. Since launching its first regional training program in 2017, GreenWave has trained and supported more than 900 emerging ocean farmers and hatchery technicians. Farmers can access technical support services such as farmer-only workshops and direct engagement with experts via an online community. The goal is to ensure that under-resourced communities directly affected by climate change can benefit as the industry grows.
I was face-to-face with the reality that there would be no jobs on a dead planet
“After the cod stocks crashed in my home of Newfoundland, I was face-to-face with the reality that there would be no jobs on a dead planet,” says Bren Smith, GreenWave’s co-founder. “So I went on a journey of ecological redemption.”
At the same time, GreenWave’s Kelp Climate Fund is a subsidy for ocean farmers to support climate impacts, including carbon, nitrogen and reef restoration. In return, farmers provide key monitoring data on planting, growth rates and harvesting of kelp.
Through leadership and collaboration, companies can help turn around decades of destruction of the marine environment, focusing attention on the ocean’s potential to provide us with clean energy while restoring its health through regenerative farming.
