Optimizing seaweed futures under climate change

Abstract

Seaweeds play essential ecological and biogeochemical roles and support important industrial applications. Sustaining natural populations of seaweeds under climate change while simultaneously putting seaweeds to use in climate solutions requires that we weave together disparate lines of inquiry - the ecological and the industrial - to create a more holistic perspective and integrated research agenda. Innovation in the use of seaweeds must be more than aspirational - it requires evidence of effectiveness in the short term, and a promise to sustain nature and people in the long term.