Combatting climate change is a crisis that floats in and out of priority lists, but always emerges whenever an environmental, corporate, or economic decision needs to be made. When we think about climate change, we think about it’s most obvious constituents: the trees, the oceans, the emissions. What we should also be thinking about is how algae might be the secret weapon to fighting global warming.
While forests naturally filter air, removing the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, oceans absorb approximately 34 gigatons of the world’s carbon through algae, vegetation, and coral. About 50% of all oxygen production on the planet is done by algae.
Algae’s photosynthetic abilities allow it to recover phosphor and nitrogen, elements that can be recovered from sewage and reintroduced into the nutrient cycle as organic fertilisers, as well as being used as a sustainable source of biofuel production through lipid extraction. Algae within AI-powered bioreactors is 400 times more efficient than a tree at removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The harvested algae is then turned into either animal feed or as an ingredient in sustainable consumer products.
Investment into algae to combat climate change is key.
- Bella Taylor
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