The term ‘blue carbon’ recognises the ability of marine ecosystems to capture and store large amounts of carbon. Sea grasses, mangroves, and salt marshes along our coast "capture and hold" carbon, acting as something called a carbon sink. These coastal systems, though much smaller in size than the planet's forests, sequester this carbon at a much faster rate, and can continue to do so for millions of years. For example, mangroves can sequester up to four times more carbon than rainforests can. They are also a vital ecosystem service for indigenous communities all across the world, act as a natural barrier against climate change and harbour vital marine biodiversity.

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Whilst blue carbon solutions are increasingly in demand, many promising ideas face significant issues. Only a trickle of blue carbon projects have qualified for the carbon markets to date, and there are significant financial, practical, governance and legal hurdles for projects to overcome.  There is also an exciting new market for ocean carbon dioxide removal ventures and other technology ventures which can help blue carbon projects better monitor, manage and assess blue carbon stocks.

As such, through our blue carbon accelerator programme and in collaboration with EY, The Crown Estate and Hogan Lovells, our aim is to support and accelerate the development of blue carbon projects , blue carbon ventures across the world. Our aim is to better understand the challenges/obstacles that blue carbon projects face,  ensure that indigenous communities are safeguarded throughout and understand how we can utilise technology and innovation to drive forward the blue carbon markets.