This book presents a solutions based approach to reducing and removing CO2 from the atmosphere transforming it into solid (crystalline) CaCO3 through the ability of marine organisms such as molluscs, crustacea, corals, and coccolithophore algae. The overwhelming advantage of this approach is that it promises enhanced climate mitigation in comparison to planting forests, industrial/engineering carbon capture and storage process. It also provides a sustainable food resource. Furthermore, it would improve the ocean's biodiversity at the same time as the excess atmospheric CO2 released by our use of fossil fuels is returned to the place it belongs - as a present day fossil, safely out of the atmosphere to the distant future. If the level of finance and global effort that are readily foreseen for forest management and flue gas treatments were applied to expansion of global shellfish cultivation, curative amounts of carbon dioxide could be permanently removed from the atmosphere within a few decades. The concept presented in this book could have a profound influence on the life of the planet.

1 Diagnosing the Problem 1.1 In this Chapter… 1.2 A Plain Language Guide to the Earth’s Carbon Cycle 1.3 The Denial of Anthropogenic CO2-Driven Climate Change 1.4 The Global Carbon Cycle 1.5 The Likely Effects of Climate Change 1.6 Climate Change and What We Might Do About It 1.7 Blue Carbon on the High Seas and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals References 2 Cultivate Shellfish to Remediate the Atmosphere 2.1 In this Chapter… 2.2 Plant Trees for the Intrinsic Value of Forests 2.3 Cultivate Shellfish: Save the Atmosphere 2.4 There’s a Lot of Shell in Shellfish 2.5 Shellfish Shell is Mineralised Carbon Dioxide from the Atmosphere 2.6 Shellfish Shell is Not Digested and is Chemically Stable for Geological Periods of Time 2.7 Change the Paradigm 2.8 Additional Benefits 2.9 The Shellfish Cultivation Industry Offers Unique Opportunities for Limiting Climate Change and Enhancing Conservation Strategies References 3 Aquaculture: Prehistoric to Traditional to Modern 3.1 In this Chapter… 3.2 Our Primeval Shellfish-Eating Tradition 3.3 Ancient Clam Gardening 3.4 What is Aquaculture? 3.5 Fish and Shellfish in Recorded History 3.6 Nineteenth Century Oyster and Scallop Dredging on Both Sides of the Atlantic 3.7 Bringing the Oyster Back to the Table 3.8 Present-Day Aquaculture References 4 The High Seas Solution 4.1 In this Chapter… 4.2 The Context 4.3 A Novel Idea 4.4 Why Should It Be Done? 4.5 How Are We Going to Achieve It? 4.6 Where Could This Take Place? 4.7 What Shall We Raise There? 4.8 My Vision about the High Seas 4.9 My Dream of a Shared Half World References 5 Farming Giant Clams in 2021: A Great Future for the ‘Blue Economy’ of Tropical Islands 5.1 In this Chapter… 5.2 Introducing Giant Clams 5.3 Biology and History of Giant Clams 5.4 Giant Clams and Coral Reefs 5.5 Giant Clam Cultivation and Restocking 5.6 Giant Clam Aquaculture is More Than Just Science! 5.7 More a Matter of Vision and Governance Than Either Science or Art Acknowledgements References 6 Coccolithophore Cultivation and Deployment 6.1 In this Chapter… 6.2 Introducing Calcifying Algae 6.3 The Nature, Biology and Ecology of Coccolithophores 6.4 Why Coccolithophores Could Be Good for Us and Our Planet 6.5 Coccolithophore Cultivation 6.6 Large-Scale Cultivation of Coccolithophores 6.7 What We Might Do References 7 Comparing Industrial and Biotechnological Solutions for Carbon Capture and Storage 7.1 In this Chapter… 7.2 Solutions for Atmospheric Carbon Reduction 7.3 The Carbon Market 7.4 Industrial Carbon Dioxide Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) 7.5 Carbon Emissions Reduction Targets 7.6 The Comparison with ‘Soft’ (Nature-Based) Carbon Sequestration 7.7 ‘Soft’ Carbon Sequestration Solutions (Nature-Based) 7.8 Coastal Blue Carbon 7.9 The Ultimate Blue Carbon: The Oceans’ Calcifiers 7.10 Sustainability Assessment of CCS Methods 7.11 Conclusions References 8 What Should Be Done 8.1 In this Chapter… 8.2 Executive Summary of Chaps. 1–7 8.2.1 Chapter 1. Diagnosing the Problem by David Moore, Matthias Heilweck and Peter Petros 8.2.2 Chapter 2. Cultivate Shellfish to Remediate the Atmosphere by David Moore, Matthias Heilweck and Peter Petros 8.2.3 Chapter 3. Aquaculture: Prehistoric to Traditional to Modern by David Moore and Matthias Heilweck 8.2.4 Chapter 4. The High Seas Solution by Matthias Heilweck 8.2.5 Chapter 5. Farming Giant Clams in 2020: A Great Future for the ‘Blue Economy’ of Tropical Islands by David Moore 8.2.6 Chapter 6. Coccolithophore Cultivation and Deployment by David Moore 8.2.7 Chapter 7. Comparing Industrial and Biotechnological Solutions for Carbon Capture and Storage by Peter Petros and David Moore 8.2.8 Summary of Recommendations 8.2.9 The Action Plan 8.2.10 Immediate Activity (Assuming Global Funding and Programme Management Are Both in Place) 8.2.11 Waste Shells? 8.2.12 Infrastructural Activity Designed to Change the Paradigm 8.3 Specific Recommendations 8.3.1 Seamount Installations and Factory Ships 8.3.2 Factory Ships 8.3.3 Coral Reef Restoration