Integrating blue: How do we make nationally determined contributions work for both blue carbon and local coastal communities?

Abstract

Blue Carbon Ecosystems (BCEs) help mitigate and adapt to climate change but their integration into policy, such as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), remains underdeveloped. Most BCE conservation requires community engagement, hence community-scale projects must be nested within the implementation of NDCs without compromising livelihoods or social justice. Thirty-three experts, drawn from academia, project development and policy, each developed ten key questions for consideration on how to achieve this. These questions were distilled into ten themes, ranked in order of importance, giving three broad categories of people, policy & finance, and science & technology. Critical considerations for success include the need for genuine participation by communities, inclusive project governance, integration of local work into national policies and practices, sustaining livelihoods and income (for example through the voluntary carbon market and/or national Payment for Ecosystem Services and other types of financial compensation schemes) and simplification of carbon accounting and verification methodologies to lower barriers to entry.

Understanding community awareness of seagrass ecosystem services for their blue carbon conservation in marine protected areas: A case study of Karimunjawa National Park

“…The potential buyers for carbon sequestration services can come from individuals or organizations desiring voluntary carbon offsets (Shilland et al, 2021). However, the relationship between funders, local stewards, and ecosystems should be noted, as funding from carbon‐based PES depends on it (Dencer‐Brown et al, 2022). How to capture and connect between the buyers and providers, possibly at the global or regional scale, instead of national or local ones, will be a key factor in the development of the blue carbon payment scheme.…”

Rawls in the mangrove: Perceptions of justice in nature‐based solutions projects

“…NbS are essential to achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement (Girardin et al, 2021), but calls on governments and NGOs for greater efficiency and impact in NbS projects risks ignoring or undermining local agency. We call for more focus and research on this problem, including on how best to incorporate locally rooted projects into government programmes such as Nationally Determined Commitments under the Paris Agreement (Dencer‐Brown et al, 2022). The details of distribution of benefits at the local level are of critical importance, but this must respond to the local context.…”

“…A voluminous literature explores and critiques the application of PES to forest conservation, including analyses of how justice norms shape practices (Jones et al, 2020;Suiseeya, 2017). A large and growing literature considers the science, economics, and theoretical promise of blue carbon (Dencer-Brown et al, 2022;Macreadie et al, 2019).…”

“…A voluminous literature explores and critiques the application of PES to forest conservation, including analyses of how justice norms shape practices (Jones et al, 2020; Suiseeya, 2017). A large and growing literature considers the science, economics, and theoretical promise of blue carbon (Dencer‐Brown et al, 2022; Macreadie et al, 2019). However, very few blue carbon projects are actually operating, although dozens are now in preparation (Friess et al, 2022); there is a need to learn justice lessons from those that are established.…”

Bahamian seagrass extent and blue carbon accounting using Earth Observation

“…Seagrasses' ability to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations supports the Paris Agreements' goal of limiting the global average temperature rise to below 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels (UNFCCC, 2016). However, the importance of integrating seagrass blue carbon into national climate agendas like the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) remains largely overlooked (Dencer-Brown et al, 2022). Out of the 159 countries in which seagrasses grow, only 13 countries explicitly recognise seagrasses in their mitigation and/or adaptation strategies (UNEP, 2020;Cabo Verde, 2021;Republic of Seychelles, 2021; The Government of Mozambique, 2021).…”