We have always relied on our oceans for food, work, recreation and even the air we breathe. Yet we just take, one way, without in any way respecting the ocean masses that literally give us life. This is why Blue Technology was born.
What is Blue Technology?
Blue Technology is the collective name for new technologies that aim to improve our relationship with the oceans around the planet. They help us, and will help us more and more, to change this one-sided relationship: to benefit from our oceans, but also do our part for their well-being.
Why is blue technology important? Simple. As the marine biologist says Sylvia earle, “Everyone, everywhere, is inextricably connected and totally dependent on the existence of the sea.”
Us and the oceans
Our oceans play a gigantic role in modern economies, perhaps more than they did in ancient ones. More than 90% of trade uses sea lanes: the marine economy itself provides millions of jobs around the world.
The oceans influence our diets: three billion people worldwide they rely on them as significant sources of protein.
And can we talk about the climate? Over the past 100 years, the average temperature of our oceans has increased by 1,5 degrees Fahrenheit (almost one degree Celsius) and continues to increase.
Like our bodies, our oceans don't function well when they heat up. High temperatures cause the death of marine life, intensify extreme weather events and create floods with the rise of sea levels.
Why is Blue Technology great?
Blue technology offers several elegant and simple solutions that allow us to benefit from the resources of our oceans while still allowing them to thrive. Some examples with related references to articles on this site? Ready.
- 3D printed coral reefs to promote biodiversity and protect our coasts;
- Autonomous boats and ships solar-powered that clean up ocean plastic;
- 3D atlases to locate oceanic areas deficient in oxygen (and related robots to do it)
- Techniques for gather energy by the movement of the tides.
Our oceans have supported us throughout human history, and if we allow it, Blue Technology will help both us and our oceans thrive in the future.
