The whale pump - nature's way to capture carbon

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Did you know that the great whales have a vital role to play in storing carbon in the oceans? "When it comes to saving the planet, one whale is worth thousands of trees" according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). One way they do it is by accumulating carbon in their bodies during their lifetime and taking it down to the bottom of the sea with them when they die, removing it from circulation for a very long time. However, their most important contribution to carbon storage is what is known as the "whale pump". By fertilizing the upper reaches of the oceans with nutrients from the depths, they promote the growth of phytoplankton. These tiny creatures capture an astounding 40 percent of all the CO2 produced in the world, turning it into at least half of the oxygen that is made available worldwide (IMF estimates).

Rewilding the oceans and protecting the great whales so that their numbers can increase again is therefore a natural, non-technological way of dealing with the carbon problem. It is estimated that if whale populations were to reach their pre-whaling sizes once more, they could capture 1.7 billion tonnes of CO2 annually, which is about the amount that Russia emits every year (Charles Clover).

Sources and inspiration:

Charles Clover: Rewilding the Sea - How to Save Our Oceans
IMF: https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/fandd/issues/2019/12/natures-solution-to-climate-change-chami