Source: Looking for Climate Solutions? Protect More Ocean, Researchers Find. – The New York Times
Among the surprising findings in a new paper on marine ecosystems: Trawling releases as much planet-warming carbon each year as global aviation.
- March 17, 2021Updated 4:13 p.m. ET
For the first time, scientists have calculated how much planet-warming carbon dioxide is released into the ocean by bottom trawling, the practice of dragging enormous nets along the ocean floor to catch shrimp, whiting, cod and other fish. The answer: As much as global aviation releases into the air.
While preliminary, that was one of the most surprising findings of a groundbreaking new study published on Wednesday in the journal Nature. The study offers what is essentially a peer-reviewed, interactive road map for how nations can confront the interconnected crises of climate change and wildlife collapse at sea.
It follows similar recent research focused on protecting land, all with a goal of informing a global agreement on biodiversity to be negotiated this autumn in Kunming, China.
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