Blue carbon: the role of healthy oceans in binding carbon - a rapid response assessment

Abstract

The burning of fossil fuels is generating levels of what one might term ‘brown’ and ‘black’ carbon in the atmosphere and unless checked may take global temperatures above a threshold of 2 ̊C. Dramatic reductions are possible by accelerating energy efficiency measures and boosting the deployment of cleaner energy generation and renewables such as solar, wind and geothermal. Over the past few years science has been illuminating other sources of emissions and other opportunities for action. Deforestation for example now accounts for close to 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions