New Study Incorporating Blue Carbon Science into Climate Policy Solutions
By Rosalie Wright
New research led by Dr Lisa Wedding, published in Global Environmental Change, investigates the carbon sequestration potential of habitats along the California coast and details pathways incorporating carbon-capturing habitats into climate change policy.
Emissions reduction pledges made by countries through the 2015 Paris Agreement represent the current global commitment to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and tackle climate breakdown. Carbon sequestration and storage in natural ecosystems is critical for successful pathways to global decarbonisation.
However, blue carbon habitats (seagrass, mangroves and coastal wetlands) and their associated sequestration benefits are vulnerable to losses from habitat destruction and sea-level rise. Protecting these coastal regions and providing operative data on the services they provide will create opportunities for progressive climate action, new carbon markets, and local economic and social prosperity.
In November 2020, the United States temporarily withdrew from the International Paris Agreement. This action underscored the increasing importance for state and local governments to uphold their commitment to reducing carbon emissions, and begin taking advantage of negative emissions opportunities such as natural carbon stores. In order to address previously limited inclusion of blue carbon habitats in climate policies, Dr Wedding and her team at Stanford University and the University of Oxford investigated the potential carbon sequestration and economic valuation of California’s blue carbon habitats.
“As carbon markets become more prevalent and demands on the coastline intensify, the mapping and valuation of blue carbon habitats can help managers to prioritise carbon sequestration hot spots for coastal conservation or restoration.”
The study reports that incorporation of blue carbon habitats in climate change policy is a strategy for not only maintenance of these socially and financially valuable habitats, but also conserving significant carbon sequestration capabilities.
Accessible data on coastal sequestration capacity may advance climate risk disclosure and the development of reliable carbon markets. This can support the necessary restoration and protection of coastal habitats, in turn strengthening local sustainable economies, driving community resilience and food production, amongst many other benefits. As California and other states take action to meet their climate goals, blue carbon habitats can provide an important pathway toward solutions.
“Our results illustrate how accessible information about carbon sequestration in coastal habitats can be directly incorporated into existing policy frameworks at the sub-national scale.”
Dr. Wedding has recently received a University of Oxford ESRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) grant enabling the research team to co-develop a policy brief to highlight key points for policymakers in California. The team distilled their research findings into three key points for policymakers. These included 1) highlighting this timely opportunity for California to become a global leader in new carbon sequestration initiatives; 2) stressing the potential for leveraging of blue carbon data and information to be incorporated into existing climate policy frameworks, thus helping to reach state targets quicker; and 3) noting that the protection and restoration of blue carbon habitats has important co-benefits (e.g., reducing flood risk and restoration of biodiversity).
Mapping, monitoring and valuing coastal habitats alongside effective collaborations between scientists and decision-makers may therefore facilitate progress towards global targets, such as the 2015 Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals.
California could serve as a model for blue carbon policies and practices by using carbon captured in coastal habitats to achieve its ambitious climate goals
Read the full paper here: https://bit.ly/3kWg1Gb
Access the policy brief here: https://stanford.io/317NCUC