December 2024 Edition
A monthly round-up of news and trends important to the AltaSea community.
AltaSea Community Spotlight
AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles, the nation’s leading hub for the blue economy, today announced that it signed a fiscal sponsorship with Aquaai, a California deep tech climate company that works in Norway and the United Arab Emirates, to partner on Aquaai’s Circularity for Biodiversity project. Aquaai’s closed-loop project applies data, AI and robotic fish sensor platforms to detect discarded fishing gear and repurposes the gear into robot fish to detect and collect more discarded fishing gear.
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The Institute was visited by a delegation from Los Angeles made up of representatives from various sectors of the city, such as tourism, energy, waste recycling, representatives of the Port of Los Angeles and the city administration, as well as some institutions operating in Los Angeles. Among them was Terry Tamminen, CEO of the non-profit organization AltaSea, who presented the organization’s main activities.
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The Port of Los Angeles has been awarded an unprecedented $412 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Clean Ports Program to support the zero-emission (ZE) transition at the nation’s busiest trade gateway. The Port and its private sector partners will match the EPA grant with an additional $236 million, bringing the total new investment in ZE programs at the Port of Los Angeles to $644 million.
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Eco Wave Power Global AB (Nasdaq: WAVE) (“Eco Wave Power” or the “Company”), a leading provider of onshore wave energy technology, is pleased to announce it has received the final Nationwide Permit (NWP) from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for its groundbreaking wave energy project at AltaSea’s premises at the Port of Los Angeles.
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SwitcH2 is partnering with CorPower Ocean to deliver a unique industrial scale floating green ammonia production facility partially powered by wave energy.
The concept, which sees electrolysers powered by a mix of renewables including wind and solar, will now incorporate wave energy to ensure a greater balance of green electricity.
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Around the world, decision makers, executives, researchers, and innovators are working to help unlock the necessary funding and resources needed to drive successful and equitable climate action.
Congratulations to Gaurav N. Sant, founder of Equatic, for making it on the second annual TIME 100 Climate list which represents multitudes of individuals making significant progress in influencing the business of climate change.
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Congratulations Aquaai!
WINNER of the Silicon Valley Club’s Deep Tech Unicorn Battle – Voted on by ≈ 20 global experts & investors reviewing 1000 applications and 6 final pitches – mostly space tech – and Aquaai brings it home for the Climate!!!!
Learn More About Aquaai –>
The Department of Commerce and NOAA announced today that it is recommending awards totaling $54.3 million to four organizations to support small businesses and entrepreneurs. Organizations will use these funds to bring to market solutions that will benefit coastal resilience and a sustainable Blue Economy.
Congratulations Braid Theory and UC San Diego-Scripps Institution of Oceanography for receiving this award and funding!
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Marine Science
Oil rigs around the world are habitats for marine species. When they stop producing oil, should they be removed or allowed to stay?
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Ocean protections are lagging dangerously. Here’s what it’s going to take to meet global goals, according to a Conservation International marine scientist.
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An ice shelf that broke apart seemingly unprovoked a couple of years ago had been steadily weakening for 30 years, largely unnoticed by scientists, researchers report December 3 in Nature Geoscience. The finding, based on decades of satellite observations, raises concerns about a region of Antarctica long considered stable.
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NOAA Fisheries released two draft programmatic environmental impact statements (PEIS) to support the identification of proposed Aquaculture Opportunity Areas (AOAs) in Southern California and the Gulf of Mexico. The public is invited to review and submit comments on the draft statements from November 22, 2024, through February 20, 2025.
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The protein in sea lettuce, a type of seaweed, is a promising complement to both meat and other current alternative protein sources. Seaweed also contains many other important nutrients, and is grown without needing to be watered, fertilized or sprayed with insecticides.
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Sustainable and Innovative Business
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (Republicans, Alaska) and Michael Bennet (Democrats, Colorado) have introduced a Carbon Dioxide Removal Investment Act to create a production tax credit that will fuel the advancement of CO2 removal in the United States.
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December 2 – Shipping is responsible for 3% of global emissions, and vital to the world’s economy, transporting 90% of global trade, so it is imperative that the sector decarbonizes as quickly as possible.
The International Maritime Organization has targeted a 40% cut in emissions by 2030, including through switching to low carbon fuel alternatives, such as hydrogen, ammonia and batteries, and introducing digital technologies to make ships run more efficiently.
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The ReefLine aims to one day create an enormous, art-studded underwater playland, including a sculpture park, snorkel trail and hybrid reef.
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Governments including the European Union, Canada and Mexico said they will set “ambitious” new targets for cutting their greenhouse gas pollution by 2035.
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A proposal to set limits on plastic production gained support but still faces some stiff opposition.
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Education
Japanese researchers at the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science have developed a groundbreaking biodegradable plastic that dissolves in seawater.
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Unlike traditional plastics, this new material degrades within hours in ocean water and within 10 days in soil, even enhancing soil fertility.
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Just half a pound of the stuff may remove as much carbon dioxide as a tree can, according to early tests. Once the carbon is absorbed by the powder, it can be released into safe storage or be used in industrial processes, like carbonizing drinks.
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Climate change ranks high as an area of concern for Gen Z and millennials, and they have continuously pushed for better sustainability practices from the companies they shop from.