Global study identifies urgent blue carbon priorities in the fight against climate change

A major new international study warns that critical scientific and practical gaps are slowing the use of blue carbon ecosystems (BCEs) in global efforts to tackle climate change.  

Led by a team of international researchers, including PML’s Professor Ana Queirós, the research identifies the most urgent questions that must be addressed to scale up credible, equitable and effective blue carbon conservation and restoration worldwide. 

The paper, published today (Tuesday 24 March) in Nature Ecology & Evolution, sets out a global agenda to accelerate progress in this rapidly developing field. 

Despite the significant potential of blue carbon to contribute to climate mitigation, only around 20% of eligible countries currently include blue carbon in their National Inventory Reports, representing a substantial gap in the opportunities offered under the Paris Agreement. 

Advances in measuring carbon stocks and fluxes in coastal and marine ecosystems have made it increasingly feasible to integrate blue carbon into national climate strategies, greenhouse gas inventories, and emerging carbon markets. This progress has driven global interest and accelerated research efforts, strengthening the links between science, policy, and on-the-ground action. At the same time, the paper states that: “Translating blue carbon science into action…depends on filling geographic and ecosystem data gaps, improving access to technological tools and strengthening the socio-economic dimensions of BCE management, including community engagement and equitable benefit-sharing.”   

The paper, titled Priority questions for the next decade of blue carbon science, is intended as a guide for researchers, practitioners and policy makers facing the challenge of the need for robust evidence to underpin effective governance of BCEs as sites which, through conservation and restoration, have the potential to offset a further 1-3% of global greenhouse gas emissions. 

“As climate change unfolds, now more than ever, we need to protect the vital role of the ocean ecosystems, and ocean life, in regulating our climate system,” said contributing author Professor Ana Queirós, PML’s Ocean Challenge Lead for Climate Change. 

“The United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development’s Global Ocean Blue Carbon Programme has offered an opportunity to bring together global expertise, experience and capacity with a view to accelerate our understanding of these “blue carbon habitats” to promote effective conservation measures that continue to support their role regulating our climate.  

As a member of the programme’s Scientific team, I was delighted to contribute my expertise to this paper, which emerged as an output highlighting the direction for blue carbon research we believe will be of most use to practitioners in the coming decade, as well as indicating to scientists where capability is most strong and has the potential to create the greatest impact with practitioners. We hope it will be a useful resource to this community, and to the ocean conservation community at large.” 

Developed out of a priority-setting exercise, the paper identifies ten questions that define the future direction of blue carbon science and involved researchers from 15 institutions representing a broad range of expertise and knowledge, including early career researchers, senior academics, and indigenous peoples’ contributions. 

First author, Professor Peter Macreadie, (RMIT, Australia), said: “The field has shifted rapidly toward implementation, governance and equity, and bringing a large international group to agreement on what matters most proved both difficult and deeply worthwhile.” 

A panel of international experts identified the top ten questions shaping the future of blue carbon, highlighting the push to balance scientific rigor with practical action. Out of 116 submissions, the highest-ranked question focuses on managing coastal ecosystems at scale while supporting local livelihoods. 

Co-author Dr Hannah Morrissette, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, USA, said: “Conserving blue carbon ecosystems for the livelihoods of coastal communities is not only a scientific achievement, but a universal responsibility of those in the blue carbon space. Merging traditional and academic ecological knowledge allows us to manage these ecosystems with a scientifically robust strategy based on local context for maximum effectiveness.” 

Professor William Austin from the University of St Andrews said: “This study brought together blue carbon experts from across the world as part of a major global initiative – the United Nations Ocean Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. By today, we are just past the mid-point of the Ocean Decade, with the need for multilateral cooperation in science and a vision for the protection and restoration of the world’s blue carbon habitats more urgent than ever.” 

Speaking of the breadth of collaboration and its importance, co-author Professor Pere Masque-Barri, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said: “IAEA support in gathering 30 scientists from across the globe in Vienna was essential to establish the GO-BC Science Technical working group and combine our diverse expertise. This support allowed us develop a truly international roadmap for blue carbon research, reflecting the IAEA’s commitment to high-level marine research and capacity building worldwide.”