Global Ethics Day, Apple and E-Bikes? KZO Seafarms

GLOBAL ETHICS DAY

Back in 2014, the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, established Global Ethics Day as an opportunity to explore ethics in an increasingly globalized world. Global Ethics Day is an annual moment to empower ethics through the actions of individuals and organizations. It takes place on the third Wednesday of every October. 

Why should Global Ethics Day matter to us concerned about climate change? In a broad sense, global ethics address some of the most important moral problems which we face. These problems are related to extreme poverty, accelerating climate change, war and humanitarian interventions, rogue states and corruption, consumption and the principles of global trade. 

As climate change is the #1 most important issue of our time, on this day it is important to reflect upon the responsibility of each of us to support and monitor the integrity and ethics of those who govern us. This year the theme of Global Ethics Day is “Ethics Empowered.” Citizens, businesses, professional organizations and governments from over 75 countries have participated in Global Ethics Day since its inception.

The Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs even produced a very informative, short, Global Ethics Day video. Well worth the visit. Click on the link in the Deeper Dive Section of this story at theclimate.org/episodes to stream it. 

DEEPER DIVE: Global Ethics Day, DE Online, GED YouTube

SHOULD APPLE MAKE E-BIKES INSTEAD OF EV’S?

Bloomberg NEF estimates that by 2040 there will be over 750 million electric two- and three-wheelers on the road globally, and 700 million electric cars. That’s why experts, including Tony Fadell, a former Apple executive who helped to create the iPod and later co-founded the thermostat startup Nest Labs Inc.,  think Apple should ditch their electric car concept and get with e-bikes. 

In an interview with Bloomberg Green Fadell says, “Apple changes the way people think about the world and how they interact with the world. Doing another car is not that. It doesn’t change much of how we live. Apple’s strength is going to be getting people to think about different ways of being mobile—on two-, and three-, and lightweight four-wheel vehicles.” 

Comparatively, The U.S. electric bike market continues to boom according to the latest figures from the Light Electric Vehicle Association ,LEVA. The U.S. imported nearly 790,000 electric two-wheelers in 2021 according to LEVA’s estimate. That’s compared to 652,000 EVs. The trade group’s research suggests that e-bikes are the best-selling EVs in the country. 790K e-bikes is up from 463,000 in 2020, almost an 85% increase in sales. While not a sales figure, LEVA’s tally is a useful proxy for the state of the U.S. e-bike market.

Why does what Apple does in the world of electric mobility matter to us? Apple is flush with billions of dollars in cash, and is already producing batteries on a massive scale. Plus it’s monsterously successful at making a category-defining product that also rewires how people relate to time and space. 

DEEPER DIVE: Bloomberg, Rise of e-Bikes, Bike Biz, NYT

KZO SEA FARMS

KZO Sea Farms Africa (KSFA) was formed to develop a Seaplant and Shellfish Mariculture Industry in ocean waters offshore African coastal nations for mitigating local and global food shortages and malnutrition, exporting sustainable seafood products, and as a decarbonization strategy for combating climate change. 

The continent of Africa and its offshore islands have considerable potential for seaplant production to contribute to world demand. Africa has 18,950 miles of coastline and the 38 coastal nations have massive Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) that are ideal for Offshore Mariculture to help feed their growing populations. About 300 million people in Africa currently suffer from hunger. 

The UN has warned that the conflict in Ukraine could make an additional 47 million people food insecure in 2022. This would require about 7 million acres of offshore seaplant and mussel production, just a small percentage of the continent’s offshore ocean space. How does KSFA do it?KZO Sea Farms’ team of engineers and consultants has designed a Submersible Offshore Platform constructed with High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) pipes providing four transformative benefits for offshore mariculture:

1) The buoyant HDPE pipes can be filled with seawater by opening valves submerging the structure for protection from storms and hurricanes.

2) The submersible capability allows the platform to be positioned in ocean depth with optimum cultivation characteristics for producing significantly higher quantity and quality crop yields.

3) The platform employs cage culture for protecting seaplant crops from losses due to pest predation, epiphyte attachments, and storm shocks.

4) The platform provides a transparent system and secure chain of custody that is traceable to the day the marine crop was harvested for quality control and meeting sustainable certification standards.

KSFA is planning a pilot project in the Republic of Gabon that would de-risk the development of a commercial seaplant and shellfish industry and serve as the showcase for scaling to other 37 African coastal nations. Research shows that ocean depth significantly affects abiotic factors of temperature, sunlight, salinity, and nutrients which are critical for survivability and growth.

DEEPER DIVE: KZO Sea Farms, Twitter, Seafood Source