What do the Cliffs of Dover, the pyramids of Giza and oil have in common?
The answer is plankton, which is the “basis of life on the planet – it all started there”, in the words of Vincent Doumeizel, senior adviser on the oceans to the United Nations (UN) Global Compact.
Doumeizel, author of The Seaweed Revolution, has managed to negotiate agreement among 30 of the world’s leading marine scientists to sign their names to a plankton manifesto.
The manifesto, which will be published during the United Nations General Assembly in New York in a few weeks’ time, aims to raise awareness about the critical role of plankton in addressing the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss.
As Doumeizel explains in an interview with Wavelengths, for the past 3.5 billion years plankton communities have been fundamental in shaping life on Earth.
Kappahycus seaweed being cultivated in Zanzibar
“These microscopic organisms generate oxygen, absorb carbon—accounting for 99% of the ocean's biological carbon pump—purify water, and recycle nutrients through regenerative cycles,” he says.
"plankton remain one of the largest yet least understood ecosystems on the planet"
“As the foundational level of marine life, plankton support the entire marine food web, indirectly contributing to food security and economic development for over 12% of the world's population through fisheries and aquaculture.”
Yet despite their significance, plankton remain one of the largest yet least understood ecosystems on the planet, he maintains.
Advances in disruptive technologies such as DNA sequencing, bioinformatics, and satellite monitoring are opening new horizons for understanding these invisible powerhouses, he says.
The very rich and still unknown genetic diversity of the plankton offers also large innovations for biotechnologies (medical, nutrition, pollution management), he says.
“The Plankton Manifesto advocates for the recognition and implementation of "Plankton Based Solutions" to benefit humanity and the environment,”he says.
Plankton Manifesto advocates for the recognition and implementation of "Plankton Based Solutions" to benefit humanity
Doumeizel first became involved in advocating for seaweed’s benefits - after several decades in the food industry - as he wanted to give a positive message to his children’s generation in relation to tackling climate breakdown.
He is also a singer and guitarist with the rock music group ArCy, founded in the small village of Arcy-sur-Cure.
Listen to Doumeizels’ interview with Wavelengths below.
You can find out more about ArCY here
