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Preface
The term “blue carbon” was coined by the United Nations Environment Programme
in 2009 and is still rather new. However, this concept and the role of blue carbon
stored in shallow coastal ecosystems (SCEs) as a climate mitigation measure have
attracted the interest of many people worldwide. Some such typical ecosystems
(e.g., mangroves, tidal marshes, and seagrass meadows) are now being called “blue
carbon ecosystems.” The number of publications dealing with blue carbon has been
increasing exponentially since the genesis of the term, and the science of blue carbon and its role within the context of the mitigation of global warming seem to be
rapidly maturing. However, there are very few comprehensive books about blue
carbon and the role of carbon storage and CO 2 uptake in SCEs.
The suppression of CO 2 emissions to the atmosphere by blue carbon storage is a
process that reduces atmospheric CO 2 concentrations and mitigates climate change
indirectly. The net uptake of atmospheric CO 2 through the exchange of CO 2 at the
air–ecosystem interface accomplishes the same goal directly. The role of both blue
carbon storage and CO 2 gas uptake should therefore be considered when SCEs are
targeted for climate change mitigation. However, we feel that there is a disciplinary
division between these two blue carbon-related sciences: ecologists seem to focus
on biological processes, biogeochemists consider carbon cycling, and meteorologists study greenhouse gas fluxes and physicochemical processes.
In addition to the classical blue carbon SCEs, other SCEs, including macroalgal
beds, tidal flats, coral reefs, and embayments, are drawing attention as sites that
could potentially contribute to climate change mitigation. However, there is very
little published scientific information on these new potential climate change mitigation areas.
From the standpoint of policy and implementation, about 20% of the countries
that approved the Paris Agreement have pledged in their Nationally Determined
Contributions (NDCs) to use SCEs as a climate change mitigation option and are
moving toward measuring blue carbon inventories. About 40% of those same countries have pledged to use SCEs to adapt to climate change. Australia has begun
including blue carbon as a national carbon offset scheme, and as discussed in this
book, Yokohama City, Japan, has also started using SCEs for carbon credit trading.
Preface
The term “blue carbon” was coined by the United Nations Environment Programme
in 2009 and is still rather new. However, this concept and the role of blue carbon
stored in shallow coastal ecosystems (SCEs) as a climate mitigation measure have
attracted the interest of many people worldwide. Some such typical ecosystems
(e.g., mangroves, tidal marshes, and seagrass meadows) are now being called “blue
carbon ecosystems.” The number of publications dealing with blue carbon has been
increasing exponentially since the genesis of the term, and the science of blue carbon and its role within the context of the mitigation of global warming seem to be
rapidly maturing. However, there are very few comprehensive books about blue
carbon and the role of carbon storage and CO 2 uptake in SCEs.
The suppression of CO 2 emissions to the atmosphere by blue carbon storage is a
process that reduces atmospheric CO 2 concentrations and mitigates climate change
indirectly. The net uptake of atmospheric CO 2 through the exchange of CO 2 at the
air–ecosystem interface accomplishes the same goal directly. The role of both blue
carbon storage and CO 2 gas uptake should therefore be considered when SCEs are
targeted for climate change mitigation. However, we feel that there is a disciplinary
division between these two blue carbon-related sciences: ecologists seem to focus
on biological processes, biogeochemists consider carbon cycling, and meteorologists study greenhouse gas fluxes and physicochemical processes.
In addition to the classical blue carbon SCEs, other SCEs, including macroalgal
beds, tidal flats, coral reefs, and embayments, are drawing attention as sites that
could potentially contribute to climate change mitigation. However, there is very
little published scientific information on these new potential climate change mitigation areas.
From the standpoint of policy and implementation, about 20% of the countries
that approved the Paris Agreement have pledged in their Nationally Determined
Contributions (NDCs) to use SCEs as a climate change mitigation option and are
moving toward measuring blue carbon inventories. About 40% of those same countries have pledged to use SCEs to adapt to climate change. Australia has begun
including blue carbon as a national carbon offset scheme, and as discussed in this
book, Yokohama City, Japan, has also started using SCEs for carbon credit trading.