New C-BLUES Policy Brief Highlights Pathways for Integrating Blue Carbon Ecosystems into National Greenhouse Gas Inventories
Blue Carbon Ecosystems (BCEs), including seagrass meadows, salt marshes, and mangroves, are increasingly recognised for their role in climate mitigation and adaptation. Yet many countries have not fully integrated these ecosystems into their National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (NGHGIs), limiting their visibility in climate policy and reporting.
To support policymakers and national inventory compilers, C-BLUES scientists Saskia Trubbach, Diya Chakravorty and Hilary Kennedy have developed a new policy brief exploring the opportunities and practical steps for incorporating BCEs into national greenhouse gas inventories.
Why Include Blue Carbon Ecosystems in NGHGIs?
Including BCEs in NGHGIs can increase policy visibility of these valuable ecosystems within national climate strategies and support the development of stronger policies for their conservation and restoration.
The policy brief highlights that inventory inclusion can also create important synergies with economic instruments such as carbon credit schemes, helping to strengthen the case for investment in blue carbon projects.
Enabling Policy and Institutional Frameworks
The brief identifies several key institutional factors that can support the uptake of BCEs in national inventories.
One important enabler is the inclusion of blue carbon commitments within countries' Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement. Such commitments can help create momentum for incorporating BCEs into national reporting systems.
The brief also underlines the importance of international capacity building, particularly for countries seeking to develop the technical expertise, data resources, and reporting systems needed to account for blue carbon ecosystems effectively.
Photo by Dimitris Poursanidis.
Practical Pathways for Inventory Inclusion
Recognising that countries are at different stages of inventory development, the policy brief outlines several practical approaches for integrating BCEs into NGHGIs:
Strengthening institutional capacity to translate scientific knowledge into inventory-ready formats
Leveraging existing open-access datasets as a starting point for activity data.
Adopting an iterative reporting approach, beginning with default emission factors and progressively refining estimates as improved data become available.
Taking advantage of reporting flexibilities available to developing countries.
Supporting Climate Action Through Better Reporting
As countries work to strengthen their climate ambitions, improving the representation of blue carbon ecosystems in national greenhouse gas inventories can provide a stronger evidence base for policy development, conservation, restoration, and investment decisions.
By identifying practical entry points and highlighting lessons learned, the new C-BLUES policy brief offers valuable guidance for countries seeking to integrate blue carbon ecosystems into their climate reporting frameworks and unlock their full contribution to climate action.