CEO of Carbon Kapture – the firm using seaweed to battle climate change – attends COP26

Howard Gunstock – co-founder of the award-winning kelp farm network sequestering CO2 – joins the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference

The CEO of Carbon Kapture – a company dedicated to fighting climate change using seaweed – is joining the big climate conversation at COP26 this week.

Howard Gunstock co-founded the eco firm in 2019 – establishing the UK’s first network of kelp seaweed farms dedicated to sequestering CO2 from water and atmosphere.

An award-winning startup (named the Chamber of Commerce’s ‘Problem Solver of The Year’), Carbon Kelp utilises seaweed as a superpower to combat climate change – with kelp growing 30 times faster than trees and possessing the ability to efficiently store carbon.

Two-thirds of Earth is covered by water and the ocean is at the forefront of climate discussions at COP26, with excess greenhouse emissions making seas more acidic and less productive.

With the Glasgow conference currently underway, Gunstock and his team are informing attendees how Carbon Kapture can support businesses in reducing their footprint and achieving net zero in the short to medium term, while expanding a suite of innovations and tools for emission reduction at source.

Gunstock stated: “The stakes at COP26 couldn’t be higher – it is the starting pistol for our generation’s true race against time.

“I will be standing shoulder to shoulder with 20,000 other delegates from almost 200 countries. Our message is clear: Keep 1.5 alive!

“We stand ready to work side-by-side with communities and governments around the world but we start here in the UK. We’re coming to Glasgow to tell the United Nations about the acres of forest off-shore.”

The real power of kelp is only just reaching the world’s consciousness – and Gunstock will aim to spread the word further at COP26.

Not only can this seaweed sequester carbon for thousands of years, it can also be used as a replacement for fertiliser and as feed for animals, reducing the amount of methane gas expelled into the atmosphere. Additional uses include bioplastics, medicine, cosmetics and even potential in the fight against dementia.

Gunstock and fellow founder Dave Walker-Nix are leading this carbon-capturing revolution with their team of ‘kelpers’ – who are equally passionate to help the cause.

The seaweed industry has a harvest of almost 300,000 tonnes a year in Europe alone – and Carbon Kapture is planning for significant expansion in the months and years ahead.

Gunstock stated: “We aren’t just removing CO2, we’ve created a business model that creates a circular economy; we sequester CO2 in seaweed to help our planet heal, and create other positive impacts by locking that CO2 away forever.

“Our first seaweed farms are in Ireland, and we are waiting for our licences to operate in Wales and other locations.

“Our vision is simple: ‘Carbon Negative, Climate Positive’”.

Learn more about how Carbon Kapture is tackling climate change with seaweed by visiting the company website.

More information on COP26 can be found online.