It is an honor to contribute to the “Future of Hope” of Peter Peeters, writing about the importance of preserving our oceans.
Since the industrial revolution, the exponential increase of CO2 and other greenhouse gases is causing the acidification of the oceans and the global warming of the planet. The oceans are a fundamental carbon sink to the planet. However, instead of taking care of our future, we contaminate the air that we breathe, the land where we live and grow food, and the oceans. Our actions are having important ecological and economic repercussions, and it is necessary to come up with solutions for preserving our future through the protection of the environment and the sustainable exploitation of the resources.
As a marine ecologist, I investigate the effect that high CO2 and the increase of temperature will have on marine calcifiers and coastal ecosystems. I am currently trying to develop a project to improve the shellfish fisheries and aquaculture while preserving coastal ecosystems, improving the seawater quality, and promoting a circular economy. I believe that a four-phase is needed and is already happening. Even if the present is not very encouraging, there are a lot of people who are already living the ecological revolution and who understand that we are all part of the nature we are destroying.
Laura Sordo de las Nieves
Marine ecologist (PhD)