#58: Why we should all love Seaweed with Dr Alex Campbell

For our final week of climate change Heidi and Bella take a dive underwater with Dr Alex Campbell to see whether there’s a blue solution to the climate crisis and... there is!  Seaweed and seagrass could be an unlikely hero in the battle against climatic change and not just because of carbon storage;  this slimy macroalgae is used in food, make-up, plastic-alternatives and so much more.  Through the work of research centres such as the USC Seaweed Research Group, we’ve found countless applications for seaweeds!  What you’ll learn this ep:

• Seaweed is VERY cool
• How seaweed and seagrass differ and why this is important for storing carbon
• What is Crayweed? Why did it entirely disappear from the Sydney’s East Coast? And what is being done to bring it back (cue Operation Crayweed)?
• Over the last century the UK has lost 92% of it’s seagrass cover and this continues to decline by 7% every year!
• Which other countries are implementing restoration projects? Hint: check out the WWF Seagrass Restoration Project, a plan that aims to restore seagrasses to the shores of the UK.

Thanks again for joining us Alex! 

Useful links:

Operation Crayweed - http://www.operationcrayweed.com/

USC Seaweed Research Group - https://www.usc.edu.au/research/seaweed-research-group

People can also find links to all my socials on my own personal webpage - https://www.alexandracampbell.com.au/