What do we mean

when we talk about

blue carbon?

Besides
plants, trees
and
other
take in things
carbon
too!

This is the explainer

for you.

Explainers by The Weird and Wild

 First, let’s talk about carbon sinks.
They are natural environments with the
ability to absorb more carbon dioxide than
they emit into the atmosphere.

This process is known as

carbon sequestration...

...which is the capturing and storing of atmospheric

carbon in solid or liquid forms!

While we may be more

Here’s what we mean
by green carbon
familiar with green
carbon which generally
refers to carbon stored
in forest ecosystems...

Plants take in
carbon and conve
rt
into organic mate
rial
via photosynthesi
s

Carbon can also be transferred

from the atmosphere to soil
via 'carbon-fixing' organisms! ...we also need to
look at blue carbon.
*living or growing on land
 Blue carbon refers to carbon dioxide that is absorbed
from the atmosphere and stored in the ocean or
coastal ecosystems.

By removing carbon from the atmosphere, they play

a key role in mitigating climate change.

And blue carbon sinks can come in many forms.

Tidal Seafloor
The ocean Mangroves
marshes sediments

Kelp Dinoflagellates
Seagrasses Mudflats
(a macroalgae) (a microalgae)
 Each sink stores carbon in different ways

Example 1:
macroalgae
Macroalgae
sequesters carbon
through
photosynthesis, and
deposits it deep
into the ocean as it
falls.

Example 2: Mangroves
Mangroves photosynthesise
to store carbon above
ground in their trunks
and leaves, and below
ground by trapping
sediments at its roots.

Mangro
potenti ves are
a
carbon lly 3x more
effic
affores ient than
ted lan
d!

Some key benefits of mangroves include:

1. They’re 2. They provide co-benefits
highly carbon such as coastal protection,
efficient. serve as biodiversity
havens, and more.
 Are some blue carbon sinks better than others?

All carbon sinks are important, but we can categorise

blue carbon sinks based on how much is understood
about them

Mangroves, Seagrasses
and Tidal Marshes
represent mature sinks,
meaning we have
greater levels of
scientific understanding
of these sinks.

Kelp, Seafloor Sediments

and Mudflats are
considered nascent sinks,
due to the lower level
of ecological knowledge
available.

So with all the good that

blue carbon sinks do, how do
we scale them effectively?

By catalysing financing
towards these projects
through carbon financing!
 A simplified graphic on how carbon markets work

A carbon market is a trading mechanism

that operates on the principle of putting a
price on carbon, and turning it into a
commodity that can be bought and sold.

Countries are working towards Carbon credits are generated

net-zero goals and putting in place through projects that reduce or
measures to reduce and limit remove greenhouse gas emissions
carbon emissions. against a baseline.

Companies across many sectors are These projects range from

also making climate pledges to nature-based (e.g. afforestation)
decarbonise operations and use to tech-based (e.g. carbon capture
offsets for hard-to-abate emissions. & storage) projects.

Organisations can purchase these credits

to offset excess emissions

Buyer Seller

I need projects that absorb $20 per tonne

5 tonnes of CO 2 . How much? of CO 2 .

To ensure the quality and credibility of carbon credits, carbon offset

registries track and verify the credits issued.

This also ensures that no two buyers can claim the same credit!
If blue carbon is so valuable, why aren’t more people
investing in them?

Blue carbon has great

potential! But there are
some limitations we still
have to overcome...

Less is known about blue carbon versus

green carbon today, and more extensive
studies need to be done to enhance the
bankability of such projects.

Mangroves are
also often
situated in
remote areas,
making it
difficult to
access and
monitor.

There are greater challenges in using remote sensing

technologies to monitor blue carbon sinks due to the
intricate nature of mangroves growing in both land
and water.
Committing to blue carbon initiatives and creating the right
conditions for these projects to flourish is a huge benefit
to people and the planet.

Here’s how we can make it happen:

Government regulations More carbon removed

advance the protection from the atmosphere
of marine and coastal
ecosystems

Biodiversity flourishing
More scientific research to in healthy ecosystems
help us understand these
ecosystems better

Communities enjoy the

Measurement, reporting and fruits of flourishing
verification (MRV) processes natural ecosystem
are in place

...such as coastal protection

and opportunities for
Communities that rely on marine sustainable livelihoods
ecosystems for their livelihoods
are involved in their
management and protection

By investing in blue carbon projects,

we are investing in a healthy, thriving planet.
 There’s so much we can do to give
blue carbon the attention it deserves.

Science and technological advancement

Governments and private organisations need to strengthen collaborations

on measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) efforts to advance
remote monitoring capabilities of blue carbon sinks for more effective
protection and planting efforts.

Regulatory support

Implement and enforce regulations that protect existing blue carbon

sites and encourage their conservation.

Community engagement

We need to appreciate the important ecological and communal role

that blue carbon sinks play.
 This post was sponsored
by Temasek and GenZero

Temasek and GenZero convened an

“Ecosperity Conversations” panel discussion titled:
Banking on the Ocean: Southeast Asia’s Role in
Pioneering Blue Decarbonisation at COP28.

Southeast Asia, with its long coastlines

and a territorial sea space 3x larger
than its landmass, could offer
opportunities for the development
of ocean-based mitigation solutions
with significant ecosystem co-benefits

Research aimed at identifying and scaling

ocean-based decarbonisation activities,
coupled with the development of robust
monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV)
methods, is currently ongoing.

What can be learned from current research

that could catalyse more ocean-based
projects and spur investor confidence
to unlock the ocean
as a key pathway to net zero?

Check out the recorded session

in this link below for more!

https://tmsk.sg/m2j