Governors Island transforms from military base to climate innovation hub

What was once a military outpost, Governors Island in New York City is now a lively incubator for climate solutions, from seaweed farming to oyster restoration and urban composting.

Thalia Juarez reports for The Guardian.

In short:

• Governors Island, now a public climate solutions hub, engages innovators in developing sustainable ideas.
• Seaweed City, a project on the island, uses kelp to help purify water and promote marine biodiversity.
• The Billion Oyster Project, one of the island’s key initiatives, has restored over 150 million oysters to New York Harbor.

Key quote:

“It’s remarkable how the default solutions for improving the city’s waterways are often energy-intensive, engineered, and not conducive to marine life. By contrast, seaweed restoration supports biodiversity in a natural and sustainable way.”

— Shanjana Mahmud, co-executive director of Seaweed City

Why this matters:

Governors Island has found a new life as a beacon for climate innovation, bringing sustainability front and center in New York Harbor. Now home to projects like Seaweed City and the Billion Oyster Project, as well as a hotspot for urban composting and green initiatives, the island has become a living lab for climate solutions. As climate change puts increasing pressure on coastal cities, this transformation to environmental incubator is a hopeful glimpse of what urban spaces could become — dynamic, regenerative hubs driving solutions for a more sustainable future.

Read more: We must adapt to climate change. Can we do it in ways that solve other problems too?