Copenhagen, Denmark – September 2019
Photo (c)2009 GuoJunjun, available under CC Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license
The Blue Carbon Initiative Scientific Working Group held its 12th annual meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark, from September 9-13, 2019. The meeting was co-hosted by the Blue Carbon Initiative Scientific Working Group (BCISWG), the University of Southern Denmark, and the Florida International University, and included 77 participants from 18 countries.
At the meeting, the working group members shared new research and specifically focused on four major areas: 1.) launching a Nordic Blue Carbon network to address the large opportunity for mitigation and adaptation represented by the region’s large blue carbon areas 2.) discussing the potential of kelp as a blue carbon ecosystem to address recent disagreement in the literature about the potential mitigation benefit of kelp aquaculture 3.) defining information needs for the inclusion of blue carbon in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement; and 4.) refining the knowledge of BC stocks and rates of sequestration through considering the implications of sea level rise, the contributions of other fluxes like methane, and lateral transfer to the coastal ocean, in order to better quantify the expected carbon sequestration and storage of blue carbon systems.
The meeting resulted in several major outcomes that help meet the goals of the Blue Carbon Initiative. First, a plan for a Nordic Blue Carbon network was designed, and the group adopted a six-month plan of activities in order to build on the momentum of the meeting. Second, at least two scientific papers are being drafted based on collaborations at the meeting: first, a review of the information available on Nordic blue carbon ecosystems, and second, a paper on the mitigation potential of macroalgae and macroalgal farming. Third, a team of scientific and policy experts will produce guidance for countries on incorporating blue carbon into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement by the end of 2019.
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