Algae: A Solution for Growing Atmospheric Carbon
In order to achieve the climate change limits set forth by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the World Economic Forum at Davos proposed a lofty initiative to plant one trillion trees over the next decade to sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide. Though seemingly promising, a group of climate scientists crafted a blunt rebuttal that said that these trees are too little too late.
Fallacies of The Tree Planting Approach
An article by Parametric Press explores the fallacies of this political goal. Firstly, reforesting such large swathes of land, which in the proposed trillion tree plan would be equivalent to the size of the United States and Canada combined, is expected to take much more time than is available to effectively fight climate change.
In fact, one study by NASA suggested that it could take between one and two thousand years to reforest enough land to sequester enough carbon dioxide. The climate crisis is happening now, and humanity cannot wait another thousand years unfortunately.
Second, Parametric claims that the land needed would require converting huge plots of cleared land back to forest and a political will to protect this new forest. There is the risk that these new forests will succumb to future regulations that cannot be foreseen.
Algae as a Carbon Offsetting Approach
Enter algae, the inconspicuous plant that scientists hope can solve the time and land constraints of planting enough trees. Algae is specially equipped to carry out bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS). Algae is a top contender for a BECCS-led carbon solution for a few reasons; Parametric explains that the plant is usually small, easy to grow, thrives in high carbon dioxide environments, and has the potential to be converted into food or fuel.
These benefits mean that algae uses much less land than trees, consumes less water, and can grow in more difficult environments. Additionally, at the end of the algae’s life, it sinks to the sea floor, retaining the carbon.
This solution is not without its own challenges. The effects of using fertilizer like iron on the ocean to encourage algae blooms are relatively unknown, and the harmful effects of toxic algae blooms are well documented. Although the case for algae is still in its developmental phases, scientists are hopeful that the addition of this research can expedite climate action plans and endeavors to create a holistic solution that will deliver results quicker.
RyeStrategy Partners
As RyeStrategy looks to select carbon offset projects and providers, we look for partners pushing the frontier of climate technology. One such partner is Cool Effect, a registered 501(c)3 dedicated to funding and organizing carbon offset projects. In addition to traditional tree planting, which at the organizational scale is proven to be more than effective at successfully removing carbon, they are currently working on projects with focuses on renewable energy, clean cooking stoves, clean water, and wildlife conservation. If you’re interested in learning more about the carbon offsetting process, check out our article Carbon Offsetting 101.
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About RyeStrategy
Based in Seattle, RyeStrategy is a CDP-accredited, mission-oriented company specialized in carbon accounting, mitigation coaching, and climate disclosure solutions for organizations at any point in their sustainability journey. Learn how RyeStrategy helped Salesforce, Ideascale, and Wazoku achieve their sustainability goals.
From exhaustive carbon footprinting and mitigation coaching, to setting science-based targets and reporting climate data to CDP, SBTi or custom reporting platforms, RyeStrategy acts as a hands-on extension of the team, custom-tailoring services to fulfill climate disclosure requirements easily and accurately.
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