When we think about decarbonisation, most of us immediately think about reducing our everyday fuel consumption, by turning off electric lights or switching to an electric car – seagrass likely isn’t the first thing that springs to mind.
Since The Climate Change Act, 2008 set the mandatory greenhouse gas emission target, investments in alternative energy sources like offshore wind have increased. In 2019 the central target for emissions was revised to reach ‘net zero’ by 2050. Decarbonising the energy sector will be crucial to meeting this target, but Nature-based Solutions must also be part of the net zero toolkit.
Restoring and conserving our natural habitats including wetlands, peatbogs and seagrass meadows, can reduce carbon in our atmosphere by capturing and locking it away. Using nature-based solutions to tackle climate change could provide one third of the climate change mitigation required to meet the global Paris Agreement target, yet it currently receives only 2.5% of worldwide climate funding.
As the Westminster Species Champion for Seagrass for the Marine Conservation Society, as well as the new Nature-based Solutions Champion for the Conservative Environment Network, this March 1st I am delighted to celebrate this species on World Seagrass Day.
Seagrasses are found in shallow waters around the world from the Arctic to the tropics. These plants, not seaweed, have roots, stems and leaves and produce both flowers and seeds. Seagrass stabilises sediment and produces more oxygen than all of the Earth’s rainforests and grasslands combined. In fact, seagrass meadows are one of the most productive ecosystems in the world - a ‘Super Eco-Power’ - providing habitat and food to thousands of species of fish, invertebrates, reptiles, crabs, turtles, marine mammals and birds.
Importantly for global decarbonisation, seagrass not only produces oxygen, but captures carbon from the atmosphere and stores it, acting as a ‘carbon sink’. These coastal systems, though much smaller in size than the planet's forests, sequester, or absorb, carbon at a much faster rate, and can continue to do so for millions of years. It has been estimated that one acre of seagrass can sequester 740 pounds of carbon per year, or 83g carbon per square metre, which is the same amount emitted by a car travelling 3,860 miles.
However, when seagrass meadows are destroyed, this carbon is released back into our seas and could end up back in the atmosphere, contributing to climate change. In the UK, up to 92% of our seagrass has disappeared over the last 100 years and globally, one hectare of seagrass is lost every hour which is why it is so important to restore and protect this wonder plant.
Innovative projects, such as the ReMEDIES project, led by Natural England and supported by organisations including the Marine Conservation Society, is working to increase the numbers of Advanced Mooring Systems, replacing traditional moorings along the south coast. Traditional moorings drag heavy anchors along the seafloor, usually in shallow waters where you would find seagrass, uprooting and damaging the seagrass meadows and releasing carbon. Innovative projects such as ReMEDIES will be crucial in enabling the recovery of our most efficient carbon sink.
As we approach important milestones this year, including the G7 Summit and COP26 conference, we must protect and improve our vital blue carbon assets, such as seagrass meadows. Including this carbon sequestration in the UK carbon account will signpost the UK’s ambition for tackling climate change. In 2021, it is time that we unlock the potential of our coastlines.