Oceanographer Carlos Duarte believes that health and life in the oceans can be restored within about thirty years through steady effort. He sees vast potential for future food production, suggesting a range of sustainable crops could cover three million square kilometers of oceanic space.
He explains that this message is not merely optimistic but hopeful. Optimism can imply passivity, while hope rests on action and determination. Duarte spoke in an interview with Efe, one of the leading authorities on aquatic ecosystems research.
Following a summer marked by rising sea temperatures, heat waves, fires, and droughts, Duarte, alongside Leon, attended the Despesques 2022 meeting in Cadiz. The event underscored a key prerequisite to safety: do not abandon hope that a healthy ocean remains possible.
Against a backdrop of alarming headlines about the planet, climate change, and species loss, Duarte warns that hopelessness breeds apathy. His view is that commitment and effort can steer outcomes in a more favorable direction.
He argues that the mission will demand a scale of investment comparable to launching a rocket to Mars. The work of scientists, he notes, is to redefine what is possible on a daily basis.
Five areas of action for hope
Having received the Alejandro Malaspina National Natural Resources Science and Technology Research Award in 2017 and the BBVA Frontiers of Knowledge Award in 2021, Duarte explains that once a clear prerequisite is met, five action areas can enable oceans to be enjoyed in good health.
That vision hinges on maintaining spaces, conserving species, harvesting the ocean intelligently with a commitment to innovative and healthy blue foods, reducing pollution, and mitigating climate change. With strong ambition, the value of other efforts remains protected.
Duarte notes that oceans can reverse some damage already done. He highlights improvements in marine protected areas and certain populations, such as humpback whales, while acknowledging that not all fishing stocks and pollution reduction goals are fully achieved. He points to the expansion of protected marine areas from a fraction of a percent at the start of the century to around ten percent today.
The fight against climate change is not advancing
In Duarte’s view progress is uneven because emissions continue to rise and policy responses sometimes lag. He critiques shifts that treat gas and nuclear as green energy and the reopening of coal plants, noting examples in Europe where such decisions have been controversial.
He argues that the current trajectory does not align with the Paris Agreement goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees. He notes that the threshold of 1.3 degrees has already shown the limitations of adaptation, with the Spanish Mediterranean reaching near record-high temperatures.
An image of fragile reefs and coral ecosystems underscores the urgency. Corals and other habitats face serious threats as warming persists and ice remains in a precarious state for the long term.
The future of food is in the oceans
Duarte, a professor at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia, focuses research on coral and macroalgae cultivation in the Red Sea. He believes the future of food lies in the oceans, with sustainable blue foods such as seaweed and other marine crops offering nutritious options without harming terrestrial ecosystems.
Current estimates show about 2,000 square kilometers devoted to this concept worldwide. Duarte envisions a vast expansion to nearly three million square kilometers, a potential increase of about 2,000 times. These ocean crops could be grown without herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers, and without clearing forests. The process would oxygenate water, remove carbon dioxide, and deliver ecological benefits rather than ecological costs.
This approach could address the shrinking arable land base as droughts intensify. It also holds promise for climate goals, given that food production contributes a substantial share of greenhouse gas emissions.
End of the section emphasizes the need to rethink food systems as oceans become a more integral part of global nutrition and climate solutions.