• Energy Research
• 2021-2025close
• 11. Sustainability close
• European Marine Science close

The marine environment has been in the spotlight of economic development due to the growing demand for areas to promote activities associated with the concept of Blue Economy. This is the case of the renewable energy and aquaculture sectors, whose expansion towards offshore is determined by the increase global demand for energy and food, and by exceeding of the carrying capacity of coastal and terrestrial systems. In this context, the multi-use strategy can be an alternative to minimize conflicts between activities and impacts on the surrounding social-ecological environment. This contribution presents a preliminary approach to identify opportunities for individual exploitation and the possibilities of multi-use between wind energy, wave energy and aquaculture in Brazil?s Exclusive Economic Zone. Technical, operational, and biological aspects were evaluated, through a Suitability Index validated in previous works, to identify zones with favorable conditions for energy exploitation and farming of six fish species. Additionally, overlaps between conservation areas and multi-use zones were considered to analyze possible spatial conflicts. Zones with multi-use possibilities with different combinations between these sectors were identified: i) wave energy and aquaculture presented the largest areas for multi-use, distributed in the south, southeast and northeast; ii) possibility of combining wind energy and aquaculture was identified in the northeast; and iii) multi-use possibilities in the south for marine energies. Zones with multi-use possibilities were identified in protection and conservation areas, such as the combination of wave exploitation and Greater Amberjack farming, with 63% overlap. Therefore, this case study is a guide for future local studies in the marine region of Brazil, mainly in the selection of sites for analysis. The present contribution represents a starting point for the discussion about multi-use in the country C.V.C. Weiss is grateful to the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) for the PDJ (Pós-doutorado Junior) fellowship granted (151228/2020–5), and the financial support from the Universidad de Cantabria (UC) through the Agusto González de Linares and Margarita Salas Grants (POS-UC-2019-06 and RMS-04, respectively). J. Bonetti is a Research Fellow of CNPq (Grant 306633/2019–1). Raúl Guanche acknowledges the Grant RYC-2017-23260 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and “ESF Investing in your future”. This work is framed in the project “ACUFLOT”, supported by the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge Ministry of Spain and the IHCantabria - Instituto de Hidráulica Ambiental de la Universidad de Cantabria

Rivers are significant sources of greenhouse gases (GHGs; e.g., CH4 and CO2); however, our understanding of the large-scale longitudinal patterns of GHG emissions from rivers remains incomplete, representing a major challenge in upscaling. Local hotspots and moderate heterogeneities may be overlooked by conventional sampling schemes. In August 2020 and for the first time, we performed continuous (once per minute) CH4 measurements of surface water during a 584-km-long river cruise along the German Elbe to explore heterogeneities in CH4 concentration at different spatial scales and identify CH4 hotspots along the river. The median concentration of dissolved CH4 in the Elbe was 112 nmol L−1, ranging from 40 to 1,456 nmol L−1 The highest CH4 concentrations were recorded at known potential hotspots, such as weirs and harbors. These hotspots were also notable in terms of atmospheric CH4 concentrations, indicating that measurements in the atmosphere above the water are useful for hotspot detection. The median atmospheric CH4 concentration was 2,033 ppb, ranging from 1,821 to 2,796 ppb. We observed only moderate changes and fluctuations in values along the river. Tributaries did not obviously affect CH4 concentrations in the main river. The median CH4 emission was 251 μmol m−2 d−1, resulting in a total of 28,640 mol d−1 from the entire German Elbe. Similar numbers were obtained using a conventional sampling approach, indicating that continuous measurements are not essential for a large-scale budget. However, we observed considerable lateral heterogeneity, with significantly higher concentrations near the shore only in reaches with groins. Sedimentation and organic matter mineralization in groin fields evidently increase CH4 concentrations in the river, leading to considerable lateral heterogeneity. Thus, river morphology and structures determine the variability of dissolved CH4 in large rivers, resulting in smooth concentrations at the beginning of the Elbe versus a strong variability in its lower parts. In conclusion, groin construction is an additional anthropogenic modification following dam building that can significantly increase GHG emissions from rivers.

Seaports are at the forefront of global trade networks, serving as hubs for maritime logistics and the transportation of goods and people. To meet the requirements of such networks, seaport authorities are investing in advanced technologies to enhance the efficiency and reliability of port infrastructures. This can be achieved through the digitalization and automation of core systems, aimed at optimizing the management and handling of both goods and people. Furthermore, a significant effort is being made towards a green energy transition at seaports, which can be supported through marine renewable sources. This promotes energy-mix diversification and autonomy, whilst reducing the noteworthy environmental footprint of seaport activities. By analyzing these pertinent topics under the scope of a review of container-terminal case studies, and these ports’ respective contexts, this paper seeks to identify pioneering smart seaports in the fields of automation, real-time management, connectivity and accessibility control. To foster the sustainable development of seaports, from an energy perspective, the potential integration with marine renewable-energy systems is considered, as well as their capabilities for meeting, even if only partially, the energy demands of seaports. By combining these fields, we attempt to construct a holistic proposal for a “model port” representing the expected evolution towards the seaports of the future.

Climate change and biodiversity loss trigger policies targeting and impacting local communities worldwide. However, research and policy implementation often fail to sufficiently consider community responses and to involve them. We present the results of a collective self-assessment exercise for eight case studies of communications with regard to climate change or biodiversity loss between project teams and local communities. We develop eight indicators of good stakeholder communication, reflecting the scope of Verran’s (2002) concept of postcolonial moments as a communicative utopia. We demonstrate that applying our indicators can enhance communication and enable community responses. However, we discover a divergence between timing, complexity and (introspective) effort. Three cases qualify for postcolonial moments, but scrutinising power relations and genuine knowledge co-production remain rare. While we verify the potency of various instruments for deconstructing science, their sophistication cannot substitute trust building and epistemic/transdisciplinary awareness. Lastly, we consider that reforming inadequate funding policies helps improving the work in and with local communities.

Coral reefs in the tropical Pacific region are exposed to a range of anthropogenic local pressures. Climate change is exacerbating local impacts, causing unprecedented declines in coral reef habitats and bringing negative socio-economic consequences to Pacific communities who depend heavily on coral reefs for food, income and livelihoods. Continued increases in greenhouse gas emissions will drive future climate change, which will accelerate coral reef degradation. Traditional systems of resource governance in Pacific island nations provide a foundation to address local pressures and build reef resilience to climate change. Management and adaptation options should build on the regional diversity of governance systems and traditional knowledge to support community-based initiatives and cross-sectoral cooperation to address local pressures and minimize climate change impacts. Such an inclusive approach will offer enhanced opportunities to develop and implement transformative adaptation solutions, particularly in remote and regional areas where centralized management does not extend.

The environmental sciences work with datasets every day. Recently, data sharing has become a more familiar activity for academic researchers. Records of marine litter are scarce and generally difficult to find worldwide, especially in databases. This work reviews and analyzes data repositories to identify the existence of datasets related to marine litter in Brazil. Only one global repository specializing in marine litter was found, and it is in the early stages of operation. Only two datasets about marine litter in Brazil were found in the generalist repository Figshare that do not follow all the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) for data sharing. A few initiatives are being developed aiming to collect and share marine litter data, but only one of them (Our Blue Hands) is already in place and uses a standardized, replicable method, and aims to share the data by design. Our work identified interoperability as the main point to be tackled within our context. In the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030), it is essential that repositories are created, improved, and encouraged to address the specific needs of marine litter data-sharing and researchers' behavioral shift to start sharing the data already collected. Data sharing not only allows for the integrated vision of the academic community but can also contribute to public policies, helping decision-makers and encouraging a more sustainable science regarding financial and natural resource use.

The need for plastic solutions has increased as a result of the expansion in the usage of plastic-based items, adding pressure to the waste management system. The use of plastics derived from petroleum, which significantly harm the environment, is being reduced with great interest. Substituting biodegradable plastic made from natural resources such as unprocessed agricultural waste, aquatic life, and even microbes for traditional plastics made through the petrochemical process is one way to address the problems. The worldwide bioplastics and biopolymer targets are the focus of all these initiatives. The focus of this study is on the sea grape, or Caulerpa lentillifera. The Caulerpa lentillifera plant, which is widely distributed along Sabah's east coast and in the Malacca Strait and is significant economically in Malaysia, was also mentioned. It possesses antibacterial qualities and is found in abundance there. The goal of the innovation project is to create biodegradable plastic from Caulerpa lentillifera and test the anti-microbial capabilities of the plastic. It is anticipated that this novel product will benefit society and have a high likelihood of being commercialized. Due to its remarkable biodegradability, the use of biodegradable plastic has recently become more popular. It is very simple to stretch and can lessen the environmental impact because it does not release carbon dioxide. Additionally, it does not produce a lot of hazardous emissions and has the potential to biodegrade into a natural component that blends into the soil. Additionally, biodegradable packaging has found use in several industries such as consumer goods and medical technology. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by the United Nations, particularly SDG 14 which focuses on the conservation and sustainable use of marine resources, are also in line with this unique idea.

Resulting from the growing human population and the long dependency on fossil-based energies, the planet is facing a critical rise in global temperature, which is affecting all ecosystem networks. With a growing consciousness this issue, the EU has defined several strategies towards environment sustainability, where biodiversity restoration and preservation, pollution reduction, circular economy, and energetic transition are paramount issues. To achieve the ambitious goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2050, it is vital to mitigate the environmental footprint of the energetic transition, namely heavy metal pollution resulting from mining and processing of raw materials and from electronic waste disposal. Additionally, it is vital to find alternative materials to enhance the efficiency of energy storage devices. This review addresses the environmental challenges associated with energetic transition, with particular emphasis on the emergence of new alternative materials for the development of cleaner energy technologies and on the environmental impacts of mitigation strategies. We compile the most recent advances on natural sources, particularly seaweed, with regard to their use in metal recycling, bioremediation, and as valuable biomass to produce biochar for electrochemical applications.