A seaweed aquaculture imperative to meet global sustainability targets

Seaweed aquaculture accounts for 51.3% of global mariculture production and grows at 6.2% yr(-1) (2000-2018). It delivers a broad range of ecosystem services, providing a source of food and natural products across a range of industries. It also offers a versatile, nature-based solution for climate change mitigation and adaptation and for counteracting eutrophication and biodiversity crisis. Here we offer the perspective that scaling up seaweed aquaculture as an emission capture and utilization technology, one supporting a circular bioeconomy, is an imperative to accommodate more than 9 billion people in 2050 while advancing across many of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Agriculture's ability to feed the world is limited by land and freshwater. This Perspective argues that scaling up seaweed aquaculture is needed to accommodate the 9+ billion people expected by 2050 and to meet the Sustainable Development Goals.

Automated summary

Seaweed aquaculture, accounting for over half of global mariculture production, provides various ecosystem services and food/natural products for industries. It is seen as a versatile solution for climate change and biodiversity crisis. Scaling up seaweed aquaculture as an emission capture and utilization technology is crucial to support a circular bioeconomy and achieve UN Sustainable Development Goals for a growing global population by 2050.