But if seaweed turned out to be an effective tool for stabilizing the climate, the industry would need to expand on a massive scale. Some scientists, small-scale harvesters, and environmental groups are cautioning against rushing ahead before fundamental scientific, environmental, regulatory, and ethical questions are answered.
Climate change is intensifying, and people are “panicking,” says Kristen Davis, professor of civil and environmental engineering and earth system science at University of California Irvine. But seizing on seaweed-based carbon removal as a solution before the science is settled, she says, could cause environmental harm or distract from more surefire strategies, such as swiftly cutting emissions.
“The science is not there yet to actually confirm that it’s a good idea,” Davis says.
A potentially elegant solution
Running Tide, which operates on Portland’s fish pier, was founded by Marty Odlin, an engineer and fourth-generation commercial fisherman. The Gulf of Maine is warming faster than nearly every other oceanic region, and Odlin has seen the changes firsthand: fish moving north to colder ocean, clam shells dissolving in acidifying waters.
