Despite the name, seaweed is not actually a weed. The plant-like marine organisms collectively referred to as “seaweed” are actually beneficial algae. Because many species of these macro-algae are edible and quite nutritious, they are often referred to as sea vegetables. But seaweed is more than a food sometimes used to flavor soups and wrap sushi. Many scientists believe that seaweed could be the key to solving some of the world’s most pressing problems. If cultivated and used wisely, seaweed could not only feed the world’s growing population but also help us reduce pollution and maintain a healthy balance of the gases in Earth’s atmosphere. Seaweed could serve as a source of environmentally friendly consumer products and meaningful jobs.

1. Seaweed as Superfood. The world’s human population is currently growing by tens of millions of people each year. As the population continues to expand, we will need to be able to produce sustainable, healthy foods to feed everyone. Furthermore, we will need to do so with less land and fewer resources to go around. Seaweed can be a big part of this solution. Seaweed grows fast, and it is rich in protein, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. And growing seaweed doesn’t require the use of harmful pesticides, fertilizers, fresh water, or—perhaps most significantly—land! Researchers have estimated that ocean seaweed gardens covering around 180,000 total kilometers—the approximate size of the state of Washington—could likely feed the world.

2. Seaweed is not just a food source for people, though. Seaweed is an excellent source of nutrition for all types of animals, many of which provide food for humans, too. In fact, seaweed provides both food and habitat for many species of fish. Healthy “forests” of seaweed help sustain fisheries that people rely on for both food and jobs. Furthermore, seaweed is a nutritious supplement that can be added to livestock feeds. Studies have shown that mixing seaweed into feed for cattle and sheep can reduce their production of methane gas by 99 percent, which in turn significantly decreases the amount of this heat-trapping gas in the atmosphere.

3. Help From Kelp. Methane is just one heat-trapping gas that seaweed can help reduce. Carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas that stays in the atmosphere longer than methane, can be absorbed and used by the plant through a giant seaweed called kelp. Kelp forests grow near rocky shorelines. Like forests of trees on land, marine kelp needs CO2 to grow and produce their own food through a process called photosynthesis. But kelp grows much faster than trees— as much as two feet per day! Sea ice absorbs, or captures, a lot of carbon dioxide, too—much longer than trees. Even more importantly, it keeps the CO2 out of the atmosphere for a long time—much longer than trees. When these animals quickly release carbon dioxide back into the air, it is more than the carbon from decaying kelp is carried away and buried deep in the ocean. This process happens in two ways.

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