More unintended consequences

Who would think that a love for ice cream would help to kill off the world's corals?

But then who would think that ice cream would be made with seaweed?

The New York Times reports that corals, already suffering from global warming and increasingly acidic ocean waters, are now facing an additional threat: an algae that smothers the corals, ultimately killing them. The algae grows quickly and fills in the niches that fish would normally hide in, reducing fish populations and leading human populations to grow hungry as well.

The saddest part: for the past 30 years, people living in poor island communities have been encouraged to grow this particular algae, a seaweed called eucheuma denticulatum, because it's a source of carageenan, a thickener used in processed foods. That's where the ice cream comes in.

Here's the kicker: the companies that buy carageenan have been rather fickle about buying it from the locals on which it was foisted, so in the absence of a market, it goes unharvested. That leads to the demise of the coral reefs which are critical for protecting beaches and for providing a home for sea life that has traditionally fed coastal residents.

Corporate America: just doing its part.