INSIGHT by Whitney Johnston, Director, Ocean Sustainability, Salesforce. This article was originally published on the World Economic Forum.

〉As demand grows for blue carbon credits, the businesses driving this growth have a responsibility to ensure returns are net positive for nature and people.
〉Below are 4 things blue carbon investors must do to optimise outcomes for people, climate, and ecosystems.

〉Steps include: Reduce before offsetting; champion community-first and nature-positive strategies; share as you learn and learn as you go; act with transparency.

 

Against the backdrop of a global climate crisis, businesses are making bold net-zero commitments and driving rapid growth of the carbon credit market. Businesses achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by purchasing carbon credits equal to their emissions. Each carbon credit represents the removal (or avoided emissions) of one metric ton of carbon dioxide (or its equivalent) from the atmosphere.

Global demand for carbon credits is projected to increase 15-fold and be worth up to $50 billion by 2030. Blue carbon credits – credits linked to carbon storage in coastal and marine ecosystems – could represent a significant portion of that pie.

Blue carbon ecosystems, such as mangrove, seagrasses and salt marshes, are unique in their ability to sequester carbon, mitigate climate risk, improve livelihoods and safeguard biodiversity. Mangrove forests grow along tropical coastlines. Their dense tangle of roots stabilize the coastline, capture carbon-rich sediments, and serve as a nursery for juvenile file.

Mangroves have been estimated to prevent more than $65 billion in property damages and reduce flood risk to some 15 million people every year, with overall ecosystem service benefits estimated to fall between $462 billion and $798 billion per year. In fact, economic analysis shows that the benefits of mangrove restoration and conservation could outweigh the costs by 3:1.

As demand grows for blue carbon credits, the businesses driving this growth have a responsibility to ensure returns are net positive for nature and people.

 

World Economic Forum appeared first on investESG.eu.

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INSIGHT by Whitney Johnston, Director, Ocean Sustainability, Salesforce. This article was originally published on the World Economic Forum.

〉As demand grows for blue carbon credits, the businesses driving this growth have a responsibility to ensure returns are net positive for nature and people.

〉Below are 4 things blue carbon investors must do to optimise outcomes for people, climate, and ecosystems.

〉Steps include: Reduce before offsetting; champion community-first and nature-positive strategies; share as you learn and learn as you go; act with transparency.

Against the backdrop of a global climate crisis, businesses are making bold net-zero commitments and driving rapid growth of the carbon credit market. Businesses achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by purchasing carbon credits equal to their emissions. Each carbon credit represents the removal (or avoided emissions) of one metric ton of carbon dioxide (or its equivalent) from the atmosphere.

Global demand for carbon credits is projected to increase 15-fold and be worth up to $50 billion by 2030. Blue carbon credits – credits linked to carbon storage in coastal and marine ecosystems – could represent a significant portion of that pie.

Blue carbon ecosystems, such as mangrove, seagrasses and salt marshes, are unique in their ability to sequester carbon, mitigate climate risk, improve livelihoods and safeguard biodiversity. Mangrove forests grow along tropical coastlines. Their dense tangle of roots stabilize the coastline, capture carbon-rich sediments, and serve as a nursery for juvenile file.

Mangroves have been estimated to prevent more than $65 billion in property damages and reduce flood risk to some 15 million people every year, with overall ecosystem service benefits estimated to fall between $462 billion and $798 billion per year. In fact, economic analysis shows that the benefits of mangrove restoration and conservation could outweigh the costs by 3:1.

As demand grows for blue carbon credits, the businesses driving this growth have a responsibility to ensure returns are net positive for nature and people.