Carbon Offsetting? Blue Carbon Provides Opportunities for the Dredging Industry
Type:
Presented during:
WODCON XX: "The Art of Dredging" - 2013, Brussels, Belgium
Authors:
Van der Klis P, Sansoglou P, Mink F
Abstract: Coastal ecosystems with high carbon sequestration capacity disappear at a high rate, often causing the release of large amounts of stored carbon into the atmosphere.
This paper defines the different forms of carbon that play a role in the context of climate change. Of particular interest is ‘blue carbon’, which is the term used for carbon captured and stored by the oceans and the coastal ecosystems. The global carbon cycle and the role of carbon storage are summarised. This is necessary in order to understand the very significant role of blue carbon in climate change mitigation. The carbon storage capacity of coastal biotopes, (seagrass beds, mangrove forests, marshes, wetlands, etc.) is extremely high. The paper provides global scale estimates for the specific carbon uptake of each of these valuable biotopes, their loss rate during the past 50 years, as well as estimates for the areas remaining. Based on these data the paper warns against further loss of coastal ecosystems and pleads for habitat restoration where possible (United Nations Environment Programme).
The second part of the paper provides an estimate of the annual CO2 emissions of the global dredging fleet and compares this figure with the area of coastal habitats necessary to sequester such an amount. In the concluding section the paper explores the possible role of dredging-related activities in restoring coastal habitats in view of offsetting global CO2 emissions of the dredging fleet.
Keywords: Blue Carbon, Coastal Ecosystems, Carbon Capture, Ecosystems Approach, Dredging