Today’s Solutions: December 07, 2024

Underwater sculptures

Italian fisherman uses underwater sculptures to stop trawling

Italian fisherman Paolo Fanciulli had been fishing the waters of the Maremma coastline for almost 40 years. These sea habitats near Tuscany, and Fanciulli’s livelihood, came under threat, however, in the form of illegal trawling, dragging huge nets through the water to catch large amounts of Read More...

Waterways protein

Eating less meat could help oceans and waterways by reducing nitrogen

It’s difficult for us to consider the long-term, downriver consequences of the simplest of our actions. It isn’t because we’re indifferent; it’s because there are several complicated results to everything we do. Take eating too much meat. When our bodies have more protein than they need, Read More...

three dolphins looking into the camera

Marine biologists come up with effective low-tech solution to bycatch

Bycatch, which is the accidental capture of non-target species such as dolphins, marine turtles, and seabirds, is a pervasive problem in the fishing industry. Thousands of whales, dolphins, and porpoises drown from getting entangled in nets and lobster potlines every year. The problem is that Read More...

Atolla reynoldsi

New jellyfish species named after Monterey Bay Aquarium volunteer

As we explore further into space, we also discover new oddities every day in our own waters. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says that more than 80 percent of the world’s oceans remain unmapped and undiscovered. Scientists estimate that 91 percent of ocean species have Read More...

Whales Iceland

As Iceland’s whaling industry decreases, its whale-watching increases

It’s nice when the economically responsible thing to do is also the right thing to do. Iceland announced in February its intentions to end whaling by 2024 because demand for whale meat has decreased significantly.  “There is little proof that there is any economic advantage to this Read More...

3D rendering Earth in the outer space.

Signs of life discovered deep in the Earth

We all know that things happening below the Earth’s crust, the top layer in which humans inhabit, impact what’s going on above. From volcanoes to tsunamis, the huge tectonic plates beneath our feet are hugely influential. For the first time ever, scientists have discovered how life above has Read More...

humpback whale jumps out of the water

Australian humpback whales come back from endangered status

The majestic and graceful humpback whale is a sight to see in the wild, but unfortunately, these creatures were not only admired by those who have the pleasure of seeing them but desired so much that they became a target for whalers.  Between the 19th and mid-20th centuries, the population of Read More...

Ocean carbon capture

This system takes CO2 from the air by taking it from the sea

The world over, researchers and scientists are looking for effective and economical ways to pull CO2 out of the air to mitigate the effects of climate change. There are many promising solutions out there, but the amount of CO2 that needs to be withdrawn is substantial and the process of pulling it Read More...

Plastic pollution globe

This is the UN plan to tackle plastic pollution

The Optimist Daily very much likes writing about plastic cleanup in the oceans. So, we were ecstatic when we learned about the beginnings of a treaty on par with the Paris Climate Accords to clean up plastics. The Paris Climate Accords made history as an international effort of 192 countries to Read More...

Offshore wind farm electric boat

These wind-powered offshore chargers could change shipping

Wind energy is a major part of our energy future. As the technology develops it opens up new possibilities in different areas of our economies.  The biggest CO2 emitter for offshore wind farms is the diesel boats that drive out for maintenance on the turbines. Scottish firm Oasis Marine Power Read More...