Scaling coastal climate solutions: the potential for blue carbon in net-zero strategies

Coastal ecosystems such as mangroves, seagrasses, and salt marshes – collectively known as blue carbon – are some of the most efficient natural carbon sinks on the planet, storing carbon up to 10 times faster than terrestrial forests.

They also protect coastlines, support fisheries and provide critical habitat for biodiversity. Yet these ecosystems are disappearing rapidly, and their protection remains underfunded in most climate strategies.

Click here to read a summary of the discussion

The importance of blue carbon is beginning to gain traction among corporate sustainability teams, but it still represents a small share of nature-based investments. There’s a clear opportunity to change that, especially in regions such as west Africa where high-impact restoration efforts are underway.

Our panel of experts:

Whitney Johston, director of ocean sustainability, Salesforce
Yihan Wang, strategy and climate impact, Terraformation
Amy Schmid, global blue carbon project lead, Conservation International
Ledama Masidza, founder and marine conservationist, KindWorld Project

The discussion covers:

What to look for in a high-quality blue carbon project
How blue carbon fits into broader net-zero strategies
Why west Africa is a critical region for scalable blue carbon investment

This session is designed for corporate sustainability, ESG, and procurement professionals exploring nature-based climate solutions.

Case study: This session studies ReDAW, a mangrove restoration project in Ghana’s Anlo wetlands. It’s one of the few blue carbon projects of its kind currently in development globally, demonstrating measurable impact for climate, communities, and biodiversity. We also explore what credible blue carbon projects look like today, where the gaps are, and how companies can support this work in a way that aligns with climate, nature, and community goals.

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As Yihan highlighted during the session, you can explore Terraformation’s mangrove restoration project in Ghana to learn more about their on-the-ground blue carbon work. If you’re a forester or part of an organisation interested in scaling restoration efforts, visit their accelerator page to review criteria and get in touch.

The Terraformation team will also be at Climate Week 2025 in New York City and would love to connect in person. You can schedule a meeting with their team here.

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