Valuing the contribution of blue carbon to small island developing states' climate change commitments and Covid-19 recovery

McHarg, Ellen, Mengo, Elena, Benson, Lisa, Daniel, Jody, Joseph-Witzig, Andre, Posen, Paulette and Luisetti, Tiziana (2022) Valuing the contribution of blue carbon to small island developing states' climate change commitments and Covid-19 recovery. Environmental Science and Policy, 132. pp. 13-23. ISSN 1462-9011

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Abstract

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) face complex socio-economic and environmental threats, making them particularly vulnerable to climate change. Blue Carbon (BC) ecosystems (mangrove forests, tidal marshes, and seagrass meadows) provide climate regulation services by sequestering and storing carbon, presenting an opportunity for SIDS to address climate change and implement Paris Agreement commitments in their Covid-19 recovery. BC habitat decline not only reduces carbon sequestration benefits provided, but can also result in sediment disturbance and the release of previously stored carbon back into the atmosphere. In this work, a scenario analysis informed by a stakeholder workshop and scientific and socio-economic expectations is used to assess the economic importance of Grenada's BC (mangroves and seagrasses) over the next 10, 25 and 50 years. Our findings indicate that sequestration benefits are severely diminished under Business-as-Usual habitat loss, but still marginally outweigh losses from carbon emissions, with overall welfare gains of US$0.5–1.9 million over 50 years. To stimulate economic recovery post-pandemic, stakeholders anticipated a realistic scenario of increased habitat decline resulting in overall losses of US$5.4–19.4 million in the next 50 years. However, if ecosystems are maintained, overall carbon benefits could reach US$10.7 million, while a 20% increase in mangroves over the next 25 years provides benefits reaching US$11.1 million between 2020 and 2070. These results demonstrate a significant increase in value when BC ecosystems are maintained and not disturbed, preventing the release of previously stored carbon and enhancing sequestration capacity. Restoration benefits are marginal, compared to conservation, supporting claims that conservation is more cost effective.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	blue carbon,carbon sequestration,climate policy,economic valuation,scenario analysis,small island developing states,geography, planning and development,management, monitoring, policy and law ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/3300/3305
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Science > School of Environmental Sciences
UEA Research Groups:	University of East Anglia Schools > Faculty of Science > Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research Faculty of Science > Research Centres > Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Collaborative Centre for Sustainable Use of the Seas
Related URLs:	http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?...
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	05 Dec 2025 11:30
Last Modified:	05 Dec 2025 11:30
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/101268
DOI:	10.1016/j.envsci.2022.02.009

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