U.S. States Play Major Role Boosting, Expanding ‘Blue Carbon’

Collected research and analyses of states’ efforts to leverage coastal habitats to address climate change

Wetlands
A wooden dock stretches over wetlands on Bald Head Island, North Carolina. Despite occupying less than 5% of global land area and less than 2% of the ocean, coastal wetlands store roughly 50% of all carbon buried in ocean sediments.
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U.S. states and local jurisdictions are largely responsible for governing their coasts, so they play a critical role in ensuring the protection and restoration of “blue carbon” habitats, such as seagrasses and salt marshes, that absorb and sequester the carbon that drives climate change and offer many other benefits to coastal communities and the environment. For example, the forested tidal wetlands in Oregon—which have declined 95% from historic levels—store more carbon per acre than almost any ecosystem on Earth, while also supporting fisheries, improving water quality, and protecting communities from flooding.

The Pew Charitable Trusts collaborates with governmental entities and researchers in targeted states to identify and catalog blue carbon habitats and craft strategies to maintain and enhance them as part of larger efforts to address climate change. Further, because the U.S. rejoined the Paris Agreement in February 2021, federal policymakers also have a renewed opportunity to advance national goals on this vital issue and make the country’s coastal communities more resilient to the growing threats from climate change.

A person in a blue life jacket holding a double-ended paddle, propels a grey kayak through a river that runs through wetlands and forests. A collapsed tree rests above the waterway on the left.
A person in a blue life jacket holding a double-ended paddle, propels a grey kayak through a river that runs through wetlands and forests. A collapsed tree rests above the waterway on the left.
Issue Brief

How Oregon Built Its Blue Carbon Greenhouse Gas Inventory

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Issue Brief

State governments have an important role to play in tackling climate change. By developing strategies and targets to remove climate-warming greenhouse gases (GHGs) from the atmosphere and curbing new GHG emissions, they can help support their economies and make communities and ecosystems more resilient to rising temperatures.

A school of slim yellow fish swims above a dense meadow of green and maroon seagrasses with the deep blue ocean visible in the far background.
A school of slim yellow fish swims above a dense meadow of green and maroon seagrasses with the deep blue ocean visible in the far background.
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Seychelles, North Carolina Showcase Power of Seagrasses

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Seagrasses—flowering marine plants that form dense underwater meadows—boost coastal economies and can capture and store significant amounts of climate-harming carbon, known as “blue carbon.” But they are also one of the most imperiled ecosystems on Earth, declining globally at 7% each year. Up to 1 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide are released annually worldwide from degraded coastal ecosystems, including seagrasses—an amount equivalent to the emissions from 222 million gas-powered cars on the road for a year.

Girl Exploring the Outer Banks
Girl Exploring the Outer Banks
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Threatened Coastal Habitats Face Management Challenges

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Coastal habitats in the U.S., many of which are vulnerable and declining, provide significant benefits to people, marine life, and the climate, and would benefit from comprehensive monitoring and management, according to a new white paper from Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment and Sustainability

Salt marshes
Salt marshes
White Paper

CA Should Include Coastal Wetlands in Climate Plans

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White Paper

California can measurably enhance the capture of climate-warming carbon dioxide by expanding efforts to conserve and restore the state’s tidal wetlands and eelgrasses, according to a new report conducted by the San Francisco Estuary Institute with support from The Pew Charitable Trusts. Tidal marsh and seagrass ecosystems, which cover approximately 57,000 acres throughout the Golden State, are known as “blue carbon” habitats because of their ability to efficiently capture and store carbon at rates comparable to, or even greater than, those of forests.

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Coastal 'Blue Carbon' and Combating Climate Change

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Coastal wetlands, including salt marshes, mangrove forests, and seagrass meadows, are among the most productive—and threatened—ecosystems on the planet.

Wilimington, North Carolina sunset
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Blue Carbon Network Helps States Address Climate Change

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Coastal wetlands—including seagrass beds, salt marshes, and tidal forested wetlands—can help to protect coastal communities from severe storms and flooding. Because they are also incredibly efficient at capturing and storing carbon, these coastal habitats are natural allies in the fight against climate change.

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