Link: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/oct/13/sunflower-sea-star-california-kelp-forests

The underwater landscape here was once dominated by towering kelp forests. Often described as the redwoods of the sea, kelp can grow taller than a 10-story building at rates of up to 2ft per day. These dense aquatic canopies form a critical habitat for thousands of marine species and contribute to the ocean’s ecological engine that produces roughly half of the oxygen on Earth.

They are also a crucial defense against global heating. Worldwide, kelp forests sequester approximately 200m tons of carbon dioxide every year by pulling large amounts of planet-warming emissions out of the atmosphere, which they use to grow.

Scientists deploy a 24-armed secret weapon

Is this how environmental initiatives have to be framed now to survive Trump’s war on science?