Can green technology hurt marine biodiversity?

Can green technology hurt marine biodiversity?

Subject: Environment

Section: Biodiversity

Context: The study, published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution speaks about the negative impacts of green technology adoption that must not be ignored

Impact of Green Technology on Environment:

• There has been an attempt to replace fossil fuel-based plastic with biodegradable polymers, such the ‘biodegradable plastic bags’ made of plant starches
• However, these materials do not biodegrade under natural conditions in the ocean and their widespread adoption can cause marine litter as well
• The growing demand for renewable energy technology, such as lithium batteries for electric cars, also poses a potential threat to marine ecology.
• Deep sea ‘brine pools’ of more saline water, contain higher concentrations of lithium and could become future sites for extraction. A rising demand for lithium-powered electric vehicles could put these environments at risk.
• There are around 10 billion tonnes of small lanternfishes in the mesopelagic zone (a depth of 200m – 1,000m), which are not fit for human consumption but can be sold as food to fish farms, or be used as fertiliser.
• However, the large-scale harvesting of mesopelagic fish would cause immense environmental damage, because these species act as an ocean pump and remove carbon from the atmosphere

Concept:

Horizon scanning

• It is a technique which seeks to identify novel but poorly known issues that are likely to become important consequences over the next decade
• This methodology is meant to “primarily act as signposts, putting focus on particular issues and providing support for researchers and practitioners to seek investment in these areas
• It is also an effective way of assembling experts from diverse subject areas to examine common issues and formulate more comprehensive solutions.
• The horizon scan method has been previously used to identify issues that are now known to have universal environmental impact.
• A scan from 2009 gave an early warning about the danger that microplastics (tiny plastic debris smaller than 5 mm) pose to marine environments