What is blue carbon?
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2021 Prelims]
(a) Carbon captured by oceans and coastal ecosystems.
(b) Carbon sequestered in forest biomass and agricultural soils.
(c) Carbon contained in petroleum and natural gas.
(d) Carbon present in atmosphere.
Answer: (a)
Explanation:
- The term “blue carbon” refers to the carbon stored in coastal and marine ecosystems.
- The so-called blue carbon ecosystems – mangroves, tidal and salt marshes, and seagrasses – are highly productive coastal ecosystems that are particularly important for their capacity to store carbon within the plants and in the sediments below.
- Scientific assessments show that they can sequester two to four times more carbon than terrestrial forests and are thereby considered a key component of nature-based solutions to climate change.
