Blue Carbon!

CO2 has no colour, but the world uses a term blue carbon.

What is blue carbon?

Blue carbon refers to the CO2 sequestered by the marine ecosystem, especially by coastal ecosystems comprising mangrove forests, tidal marshes and seagrass meadows.

Why is blue carbon important in the context of climate action?

Estimates show that blue carbon ecosystems can store twice the amount of carbon per hectare and sequester it as much as 30 times faster than terrestrial forests. Terrific – implies that blue carbon ecosystems have the potential to provide decarbonization on scale, and much faster than terrestrial trees.

While the carbon capture potential for blue carbon ecosystems is excellent news, if these ecosystems are not preserved well, they could end up emitting back the massive amounts of CO2 they have captured!

It is thus critical to understand more about this important ecosystem and ensure that we preserve it and enable it to flourish further.