Healthy Oceans for a Healthy Planet

The Earth’s oceans are critically important to the weather and our climate. Covering 70% of the planet’s surface, our oceans are the world’s largest active carbon sink and mitigate the effects of climate change through absorption of atmospheric carbon, including our emissions.

The Earth’s ocean has helped to limit the effects of climate change on land. Gases that drive climate change are naturally absorbed from the atmosphere into the ocean. One such gas, carbon dioxide, can be converted and stored as organic carbon by life in the ocean. If this carbon remains in the ocean, it is no longer a threat to the climate. By recognising and understanding the role of ocean life, we can make better decisions about ocean management to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

Blue Climate Solutions focuses on the carbon services provided by life in the ocean and coasts. Protecting ‘blue carbon’ services provides an opportunity to reduce the impacts of climate change, is a positive direction for protecting the ocean and marine biodiversity, and promotes sustainable development of the blue economy.

Blue Climate Solutions seeks to inform governance and policies on climate change mitigation and adaptation, sustainable development, marine management and conservation.

Blue Climate Solutions is a Project of The Ocean Foundation

Fish Carbon

Fish Carbon mechanisms are the natural life processes of marine vertebrates that enable capture of atmospheric carbon, allow carbon storage in benign form in the ocean, and provide a potential buffer against ocean acidification.