This chapter explores the importance of mangroves, sea grasses, and salt marshes in carbon sequestration, highlighting their ability to remove carbon from the atmosphere and ocean and store it in the soil. It discusses the potential for increasing carbon storage through restoration of these ecosystems and the need to prevent further loss due to coastal development and pollution.
When most of us think about using nature to remove carbon dioxide from the air, we think of trees. Yet blue carbon, a new name for storing carbon dioxide in coastal and marine ecosystems where it can no longer trap heat in our atmosphere, may have even greater potential. Salt marshes and mangroves have carbon-capturing capacity that may surpass that of terrestrial forests. Seagrasses, for example, currently cover less than 0.2% of the ocean floor, but store about 10% of the carbon buried in the oceans each year. How can natural, ocean-based solutions benefit both the planet and the people who live in and depend on coastal ecosystems?
Guests:
Ralph Chami, Assistant Director, Western Hemisphere Division, Institute for Capacity Development, IMF
Emily Pidgeon, Vice President, Ocean Science And Innovation, Conservation International
Irina Fedorenko-Aula, Founder, Co-CEO, Vlinder
Isabella Masinde, CEO, Umita
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