Nature-Based and Natural Solutions
The Frog will explore The Climate Action Handbook: A Visual Guide to 100 Climate Solutions by Heidi Roop in the first 100 days of 2024
In the first `100 days of 2024 we will explore 100 climate solutions that may “empower you to evaluate, engage, and act” to address on-going climate change as an individual on your terms.
We burn fossil fuels and emit carbon dioxide gas into the atmosphere. The majority of it stays there, and some is absorbed on land and in water. The carbon dioxide that is absorbed from the atmosphere into the ocean is called blue carbon. This is the climate term of the day, and it is important, especially what happens with carbon where the oceans meet the land.
Most of this blue carbon is dissolved directly into the ocean. From there it finds it way into sediments, dissolved molecules, marine life, and coastal vegetation and soils. It is the coastal blue carbon that has a big impact, because of how humans are changing how the oceans interact along coastlines.
It is difficult to estimate the length of all the coastlines on Earth. In fact, there is an interesting mathematical treatment called the coastline paradox which seems to preclude ever knowing for sure. Depending on what grows there – mangroves, marsh vegetation, or seagrass – these areas where ocean and land meet have more potential for storing carbon than inland areas. Healthy coastal wetlands are an important carbon sink for blue carbon and a critical part of a climate change mitigation strategy.
The total blue carbon cycle is complex. You can learn more about it here:
- Understanding blue carbon at NOAA Climate.gov
- Blue carbon page at NOAA National Ocean Service
- Coastal blue carbon at NOAA Sea Grant
- Protecting blue-carbon habitats from NOAA Fisheries
There is a built-in danger if these coastal areas are not preserved and managed, as they can become net emitters of greenhouse gases through decomposition processes. The simple act of building a road or dike that disconnects the coastal wetlands from the ocean may disrupt the natural processes needed for carbon storage. These human-caused disruptions of coastal wetlands is estimated to result in up to 450 million tons of CO2 being released every year.
The IPCC recognized in 2014 the importance of coastal wetlands, in climate change mitigation and generated guidelines for incorporating coastal blue carbon into planning for and managing greenhouse gas mitigation. These are sensitive, dynamic biodiverse environments that are important to humans in so many ways, highlighted in a report by the Coastal Wetlands in National Greenhouse Gas Inventories from the International Partnership for Blue Carbon.
The IPCC urges restoration of these areas to reestablish their function as a carbon sink, which could be upwards of 0.5 percent of annual emission. In addition to promoting biodiversity, the flood mitigation power of well-managed coastal can become a key defensive strategy for increased flooding from rising seas and more substantial tidal surges during hurricanes amplified by a warming climate.
We don’t all live in a coastal community. If you do, get involved. I am confident you will find kindred spirits driven to restore the natural beauty and biodiversity of your local coastal wetlands. And if in the process we reestablish a natural cycle to maximize the storage of blue carbon, we all win.
No matter where you live, you can contribute to the effort of others like The Nature Conservancy which “is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends”. You can use their Blue Carbon Explorer site to explore the impact of restoration projects in an area you care about.
Next Up: Climate Action in 2024 – Day 70: Conserve, Restore and Reconnect Land
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