Can Seaweed Help Europe Fight Climate Change? The Emerging Promise of Kelp Farming

Seaweed has traditionally been prized for its applications in food, cosmetics, and biotechnology. More recently, however, it has gained attention for a different reason—its potential to help address climate change. Among the many seaweed species, kelp, a large brown macroalga, is being explored for its capacity to capture and store carbon, thereby helping to reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. A recent review by Canvin et al. (2025) critically assesses whether the expanding European seaweed industry, particularly kelp farming, could make a meaningful contribution to climate change mitigation.