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Williamson, Phillip 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4149-5110 and Gattuso, Jean-Pierre
(2022)
Carbon removal using coastal blue carbon ecosystems is uncertain and unreliable, with questionable climatic cost-effectiveness.
Frontiers in Climate, 4.
ISSN 2624-9553
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Abstract
Mangrove forests, seagrass meadows and tidal saltmarshes are vegetated coastal ecosystems that accumulate and store large quantities of carbon in their sediments. Many recent studies and reviews have favorably identified the potential for such coastal “blue carbon” ecosystems to provide a natural climate solution in two ways: by conservation, reducing the greenhouse gas emissions arising from the loss and degradation of such habitats, and by restoration, to increase carbon dioxide drawdown and its long-term storage. The focus here is on the latter, assessing the feasibility of achieving quantified and secure carbon removal (negative emissions) through the restoration of coastal vegetation. Seven issues that affect the reliability of carbon accounting for this approach are considered: high variability in carbon burial rates; errors in determining carbon burial rates; lateral carbon transport; fluxes of methane and nitrous oxide; carbonate formation and dissolution; vulnerability to future climate change; and vulnerability to non-climatic factors. Information on restoration costs is also reviewed, with the conclusion that costs are highly uncertain, with lower-range estimates unrealistic for wider application. CO2 removal using coastal blue carbon restoration therefore has questionable cost-effectiveness when considered only as a climate mitigation action, either for carbon-offsetting or for inclusion in Nationally Determined Contributions. Many important issues relating to the measurement of carbon fluxes and storage have yet to be resolved, affecting certification and resulting in potential over-crediting. The restoration of coastal blue carbon ecosystems is nevertheless highly advantageous for climate adaptation, coastal protection, food provision and biodiversity conservation. Such action can therefore be societally justified in very many circumstances, based on the multiple benefits that such habitats provide at the local scale.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Additional Information: | Funding information: The Ocean Solutions Initiative was financially supported by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, the Veolia Foundation, the IAEA Ocean Acidification International Coordination Center, and the French Facility for Global Environment. |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | blue carbon,carbon dioxide removal,carbon offset,mangroves,negative emissions,restoration,saltmarsh,seagrass,environmental science (miscellaneous),pollution,management, monitoring, policy and law,global and planetary change,atmospheric science,sdg 8 - decent work and economic growth,sdg 13 - climate action ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2300/2301 |
| Faculty \ School: | Faculty of Science > School of Environmental Sciences University of East Anglia Research Groups/Centres > Theme - ClimateUEA |
| Related URLs: | |
| Depositing User: | LivePure Connector |
| Date Deposited: | 03 Mar 2023 17:30 |
| Last Modified: | 20 Mar 2023 12:45 |
| URI: | https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/91365 |
| DOI: | 10.3389/fclim.2022.853666 |
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