"Did you know that coastal wetlands, like mangroves, seagrasses, and salt marshes, can absorb carbon and store it for hundreds of years? Mangrove forests alone are able to store 3-5 times more carbon per acre than other tropical forests. Woah.
Not only do they play an important role in carbon sequestration, but they buffer communities and shorelines by acting as a natural barrier to floods, storm surges, and rising seas.
Despite their power and potential, they are also some of the most threatened ecosystems in the world. In the last century, we’ve destroyed at least half of our coastal wetlands.
Now countries around the world have the opportunity to both protect these valuable ecosystems and, at the same time, help fulfill their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement.
Full Transcript Below:
In the boundary between land and sea, rooted in the shallow waters, lie powerful ecosystems that sustain people and the planet. Coastal Wetlands, like mangroves, salt marshes, and sea grasses, are some of the most biologically diverse ecosystems on earth.
They are shelters for sharks, turtles, and birds.
Feeding and spawning grounds for a variety of fish species, making them integral to food production.
They are powerful places that safeguard shorelines and combat climate change. Which is why we must choose to protect them.
Coastal wetlands have an extraordinary capacity to absorb carbon and store it for centuries, helping mitigate emissions. Mangroves alone can store three to five times more carbon per acre than other tropical rainforests.
Coastal wetlands can also help us adapt to the impacts of climate change.
By buffering coastlines, they reduce the risk of floods caused by storm surge and rising seas for millions of people. But these wetlands are in grave danger of disappearing altogether.
In the last century, we’ve destroyed half of our coastal wetlands, accelerating biodiversity loss and releasing stored carbon back into the atmosphere.
This not only contributes to climate change, but leaves us more vulnerable to its effects. But there is a path forward to protect these vital ecosystems.
In 2015, 197 parties adopted the Paris Agreement, committing their countries to reduce emissions and build resilience against the effects of climate change through Nationally Determined Contributions, or NDCs. Protecting and restoring coastal wetlands is one effective way for governments to meet these commitments.
It is also a critical nature-based solution to help us both mitigate and adapt to climate change.
In the face of historic threats, we need to take historic action. It’s time to protect our coastal wetlands."
FROM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mCR0pKInsM
https://www.pewtrusts.org
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