Around the world, small island nations whose existence is threatened by climate change and other environmental dangers are pioneering innovative technologies to both help the environment and foster economic growth. At the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) meetings last week in New York, participants discussed a variety of environmentally friendly technologies that island nations can use to develop their economies in more sustainable ways—from tidal energy and sea cucumber harvesting to new methods to revive coral reefs. Thomas Goreau with the coral-growing company Biorock stressed the importance of bolstering struggling coral reefs, which are dying in many areas because of global warming, pollution, and other human impacts. Reefs are valuable not only because they attract fish and tourists, Goreau noted, but because they protect shores from erosion and the impacts of strong waves. He described how his company is promoting the use of underwater steel structures that, when charged with an electric current, can help coral communities grow at 3 to 5 times the natural rate. Tests using the swimmer-safe structures show that the resulting corals can survive in water temperatures 16 to 50 times higher than in surrounding reefs, providing a possible solution for coral survival in… (more)
(Posted by WorldChanging Team in Sustainable Development at 3:30 PM)