Vertical ocean farming absorbs carbon while providing jobs, food, and coastal protection

By Shanna Edberg
November 17, 2015

A new open-source model of vertical ocean farming created by GreenWave can sequester carbon while growing crops for food, energy, pharmaceuticals, and even cosmetics without any need for fresh water, fertilizers, or pesticides. The kelp grown on the farms absorbs five times as much carbon dioxide as plants grown on land, and the cultivated oysters sequester nitrogen runoff that can cause dead zones and algae blooms that harm coastal ecosystems. The design and species used in the farms provide habitats for birds and ocean wildlife while restoring reefs that rebuild storm barriers.

**Climate Protection: **Sequesters carbon dioxide and nitrogen pollution; provides habitats for wildlife **Energy & Mobility: **Grows crops for biofuels **Resilience: **Rebuilds reefs that protect coastal communities from storm surges** Food & Water: **Grows nutrient-rich food crops without requiring fresh water, with higher yields than other farming methods** Jobs & Assets: **Provides vocational training and livelihoods for unemployed fishermen; revitalizes declining fishing communities** Connection: **Connects and educates local fishermen, students, chefs, journalists, and policymakers

This post is part of a series on examples of ​multisolving​, or climate-smart policies that simultaneously work to mitigate climate change while providing co-benefits such as the ones described above. The multiple benefits analysis was done using the ​FLOWER framework​.