Quick Dips
Curated topical articles on the Blue Economy

Cop26: ‘World conflict and chaos’ could be the result of a summit failure

• Fiona Harvey, The Guardian • Energy Solutions

Top climate official issues strong warning on effect of unchecked greenhouse gases ahead of summit.

Read more → (4 minute read)


‘The cusp of a reuse revolution’: startups take the waste out of takeout

• Amanda Schupak, The Guardian • Plastics & Pollution

More than 70% of Americans report ordering takeout or delivery one to three times a week – resulting in hundreds of billions of single-use products.

Read more → (6 minute read)


Stop overfishing or we’ll buy elsewhere, top UK fish firm warns European states

• Karen McVeigh, The Guardian • Fisheries & Aquaculture

Young’s Seafood joins calls for sustainable quotas of mackerel, herring and blue whiting to be agreed in line with scientific advice.

Read more → (3 minute read)


Plastic pollution on course to double by 2030

• United Nations • Plastics & Pollution

Plastic pollution in oceans and other bodies of water continues to grow sharply and could more than double by 2030, according to an assessment released on Thursday by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

Read more → (4 minute read)


US plastics to outstrip coal’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, study finds

• Maya Yang, The Guardian • Plastics & Pollution

American plastics industry, described by experts as ‘the new coal’, releasing at least 232m tons of gas annually.

Read more → (3 minute read)


The energy transition needs metals. But it needs social awareness too

• El-Shahat, S. et al., World Economic Forum • Energy Solutions

Increased interest in ESG investing means metals extraction must take into account its social risks.

Read more → (5 minute read)


Sharks and rays are in free fall: More than one-third are threatened with extinction from overfishing

• VanderWright, W. et al., The Conversation • Fisheries & Aquaculture

Sharks, rays and chimeras are now the second-most threatened vertebrate group, after amphibians. In a recent study, we found that over one-third of sharks and rays are threatened with extinction.

Read more → (5 minute read)


Deadly ‘ghost nets’ increase in Gulf of Carpentaria despite years of clean-ups

• Donna Lu, The Guardian • Plastics & Pollution

Study author calls for coordinated efforts to remove discarded fishing nets before they reach threatened marine life in gulf’s ‘high biodiversity region’

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Interactive Article: Status of the Worlds Coral Reefs

• UN Environment Programme

The Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2020 is a report by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN), a network of the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI).

Read more → (8 minute read)


These Maldives islanders once saw sharks as the threat. Now they fear the plastic

• Graeme Green, The Guardian • Plastics & Pollution • Tourism

Diving with tiger sharks off Fuvahmulah brought a tourist boom that has led to a destructive tide of plastic waste. But now locals are pushing back.

Read more → (6 minute read)


Students’ solar-powered camper van turns heads on 1,800-mile road trip

• Weronika Strzyżyńska, The Guardian • Energy Solutions

Dutch team designed and built two-person van with kitchen, bed, shower, loo and range of up to 450 miles a day.

Read more → (2 minute read)


Algae sex could save corals from climate change

• Mike Williams, Futurity/WEF • Fisheries & Aquaculture

A new study shows the algae that are important to corals are able to reproduce through sex. 

Read more → (4 minute read)


This is how oil spills damage our environment

• Charlotte Edmond, World Economic Forum • Plastics & Pollution

Oil can kill surface-dwelling animals and birds by poisoning or suffocation, as well as affecting buoyancy and natural waterproofing.

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Tuna Fishing and Retail Groups Join Pew in Encouraging Ratification of Crew Safety Treaty

• Kristine Beran, The Pew Charitable Trusts • Fisheries & Aquaculture

Cape Town Agreement would lower risks in one of world’s most dangerous professions and curtail illegal fishing.

Read more → (2 minute read)


How the UN’s Global Biodiversity Framework could become the ‘Paris Agreement for nature’

• Andrea Willige, World Economic Forum

The Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) is a United Nations-led initiative to tackle its root causes and could have a similar impact as the Paris Agreement.

Read more → (4 minute read)


Why the ocean is our ally in fighting climate change: experts tell Radio Davos their hopes for COP26

• Alexander Court, World Economic Forum

Radio Davos dives into the frozen waters of the Arctic and sweltering mangrove swamps in Colombia.

Read more → (8 minute read)


World Octopus Day IG Live

• Investable Oceans • Fisheries & Aquaculture

We were thrilled to host @Octonation founder and octopus fan #1 Warren Carlyle @octowarren to celebrate one of our favorite cephalopods! We talked about how amazing octopuses are, why people love them, and what’s in store for the future.

Read more → (1 minute read)


Countries Must Adopt Ecosystem-Focused Management for Northeast Atlantic Fisheries

• Jean-Christophe Vandevelde & Ashley Wilson, The Pew Charitable Trusts • Fisheries & Aquaculture

Failures show need for precautionary catch limits and sustainable strategy for mackerel, herring, and blue whiting.

Read more → (5 minute read)


Oceanic Global Launches 'Blue Standard' to Create Sustainable Industries for the Ocean

• Tiffany Duong, EcoWatch

The Blue Standard, as the program is called, is a cross-industry standard that empowers businesses to become leaders in sustainability and accountability for the ocean and the planet.

Read more → (4 minute read)


Rising sea surface temperatures driving the loss of 14 percent of corals since 2009

• UN Environment Programme

The “Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2020” report, released today, documents the loss of approximately 14 per cent of the world’s coral since 2009.

Read more → (7 minute read)