The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has come out with a new study detailing how the increased acidity of the Pacific Ocean has caused shell damage to Dungeness crabs.
As a native Marylander, it’s no stretch to imagine the same phenomenon happening here.
When crabs have to devote more of their resources to the development of their shells, they won’t grow as large. Ask anyone who eats Chesapeake blue crabs and they’ll tell you, the average size has gone down. (Note: this could also be because of a number of other factors; the Chesapeake Bay has seen its fair share of struggles with pollution and overfishing)
This phenomenon, the disintegration of exoskeletons, was already found in various forms of plankton.
Ocean acidification occurs when there is an increase in dissolved carbon dioxide, and carbon dioxide is released by the burning of fossil fuels.
One potential solution: GMO crops with enhanced carbon-storing capabilities. Their root systems would be responsible for the trapping of the excess gas, helping to keep it out of the atmosphere.
Another solution, one that strikes at the heart of the problem: increased efficiency of energy sources that don’t rely on burning fossil fuels. A molecule has been created from the element rhodium which absorbs up to 50% more solar energy than today’s solar cells. Scaling this technology could provide a way out of the carbon problem by using the sun for a greater amount of the world’s energy needs.
This could create a story world in which humans can power all their devices without harming the planet. Flexible battery technology has just been announced, which could mean a much more connected future, with smart clothing now possible. This would just increase the energy demand required by each human. It brings to mind Neuromancer by William Gibson, or Death’s End by Cixin Liu, in which humans and machines are so interconnected the line separating them becomes blurred.
Imagine an entire culture surrounded by the GMO crops, where their ability to store carbon makes them protected by the government. Humans could be centralized in cities, with vast tracks of land dedicated to the GMO plants and high-efficiency solar cells. Then, we could not only stop the increased carbon, but reverse it.
The series of stories could be a sci-fi western, where a lone hero goes from city to city in this futuristic world and helps the locals in their fight against those in power, performing extractions of people falsely imprisoned, and using their gifts with a weapon to complete missions, similar to a video game.
Better yet, what if this was written as a video game?
