A Win Win

Published by DonDavidson on

What if we could increase marine food sources for people while also fighting climate change and preserving—or even increasing—marine biodiversity?[1]

That is what Enric Sala, a marine ecologist, wants to do, and it appears to work. Sala wants to set aside approximately 30 percent of the most biodiverse ocean and coastline areas as national marine protected areas (NMPA), where all human activity—fishing, mining, dumping, etc.—is prohibited. So far there are 26 NMPAs worldwide protecting about 2.5 million square miles, or about 25 percent of Sala’s goal.

Studies have found that within these NMPAs marine life not only flourishes, but the abundance spills over into unprotected areas, resulting in more marine life overall. That abundance results in more harvestable food for people than would have been the case without the NMPAs. In addition, the marine life within these NMPAs becomes more resistant to the warmer, more acidic ocean that climate change produces.[2] For example, coral reefs bleached white by warm, acidic ocean water, and thought to be dead, have fully recovered within as little as five years.

In addition, NMPAs can help fight climate change. You may recall from your high school biology class that plants use photosynthesis to convert carbon dioxide and water into a sugar molecule, releasing oxygen in the process. Plankton is a tiny ocean plant that reproduces rapidly. When left alone it can remove a great deal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere—it is in fact one of the most efficient ways to doing so. But plankton, like all plants, requires nutrients to grow and thrive, and many of those nutrients come from the biodiversity that NMPAs help promote and protect.

So NMPAs seem to be a win-win. People get more food to eat while also fighting climate change..

If you would like to read more about climate change and how it may be fulfilling biblical prophecy, see footnote 2, below.


[1]. This blog entry is based in part on the article, “The Healing Sea,” by Aryn Baker, in the September 4, 2023 issue of Time Magazine.

[2]. As I explain in Chapter 11 of my book, Beyond Blind Faith, entitled “Apocalypse Soon,” some of the carbon dioxide produced by burning fossil fuels is being absorbed by the oceans. Carbon dioxide (CO2) reacts with ocean water (H2O) to form carbonic acid (H2CO3), making the oceans more acidic. Warmer, more acidic ocean water is tough on some types of marine life, such as coral reefs. You can read “Apocalypse Soon” on this website, for free, by clicking here: https://dondavidson.net/apocalypse-soon/. Or you can find it under the link to “Don’s Books, above.”


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