Blog by Jonas Svensson, former head of Global Innovation and Technology at UNOPS’ S3i
Plastic waste in our oceans has become a well-known problem: a simple Google search finds some 64,400,000 results relating to the issue. Meanwhile, a recent survey conducted by The Economist Intelligence Unit revealed that plastic pollution is seen as the top priority for restoring ocean health by the general public (mentioned by 60%). But why are we so aware? Perhaps it is because ocean plastic is a visual problem—one whose magnitude we can perceive with our own eyes.
But if awareness and understanding are the first steps towards finding solutions to a challenge like plastic waste, what does this mean for our ability to address non-visual environmental problems, such as microplastics (which is examined further here) or the crisis of eutrophication? Eutrophication may be an unfamiliar term to many: a Google search brings up a mere 6,160,000 related results (as of mid-April 2021), less than 10% of the results for plastic waste. But it deserves to be at the forefront of our minds.
Number of Google search results on plastic waste in the ocean and eutrophication
The problem of eutrophication
Eutrophication refers to the process by which bodies of water become over-enriched with nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, and it is a non-visible yet devastating global environmental issue. Artificial nutrients run into the oceans from forestry, agriculture, and municipal and industrial wastewaters. The volume of nutrient run-off has increased since the beginning of the industrial revolution, spurred by population growth, the use of artificial fertilisers, forestry and industrial activities.
Seaweed and algae consume nutrients during photosynthesis, the process by which sunlight, carbon dioxide and nutrients are converted to sugars and other compounds. The brutal effects of eutrophication become visible in the form of massive blue-green algae—cyanobacteria—or sargassum seaweed blooms, depending on the region. The excess nutrients cause simple plant organisms, such as algae, to grow in abundance. Once the algae die, they are decomposed by bacteria, depleting the oxygen needed to support other marine life. In some regions, such as the Caribbean and the Baltic sea, this makes the sea and beaches inaccessible, resulting in loss of biodiversity and economic losses as invasive (sargassum) seaweed undermines tourism, public health and buildings.
Solutions to the eutrophication problem
Finding sustainable solutions to the issue of eutrophication requires awareness of the sources of the problem, and the development of feasible interventions. Recent improvements to wastewater management are starting to reduce the influx of nutrients in some areas. Certainly, identifying efficient ways to prevent nutrient sources from reaching the oceans is critical to limiting additional nutrient aggregation. But several big questions remain. What can be done to address the excess nutrients that are already present in the oceans and have been accumulating for decades? What role could new business ecosystems and value chains play in alleviating the problem, and could they be part of the long-term solution?
By applying the latest scientific and technological developments in the areas of biomass processing, new windows of opportunity are opening up. In April 2021 a shipment of invasive sargassum seaweed departed from Antigua and Barbuda towards Finland. On the receiving end stands Origin by Ocean, a Finnish company incubated within the UNOPS’ S3i Innovation Centre in Sweden. The shipment is the first phase of a project being developed by Origin by Ocean to design a new biorefinery process for extracting biomolecules from marine biomass for use in food, cosmetics and domestic detergents. The collaboration between Origin by Ocean and the Department of Analytical Services of Antigua and Barbuda is made possible because of the synergies being established among S3i Innovation Centres across the globe.
Considering the global scale of the eutrophication problem, it is clear that the solutions adopted need to be sustainable, scalable and profitable, and they must create a positive impact on both the environment and communities. Converting a problem into an opportunity—and the opportunity into value—could not be of more importance to humankind today. Only by applying science, knowledge, innovation, entrepreneurship and grit can the impending eutrophication disaster be avoided.
