Evolution and coordination of blue carbon and coastal economic wealth

Abstract

The blue economy, which refers to economic development in harmony with marine ecosystems, is essential for achieving sustainable coastal development. Yet, rapid coastal economic growth has contributed to the degradation of blue carbon ecosystems (BCEs) in recent years, raising concerns about the coordination between blue carbon wealth, which refers to the value of carbon stored in BCEs, and coastal economic wealth. To inform more targeted ecological management, the present study analyzes the temporal and spatial changing patterns of the global blue carbon wealth, using BCEs distribution data and the social cost of carbon. We further propose a coordination index to reveal the coordination relation between blue carbon wealth and coastal economic wealth. We find that: first, global blue carbon sequestration has generally declined but has shown signs of recovery in recent years, with substantial regional variation; second, the primary stakeholders adversely affected by the decline in global blue carbon sequestration are coastal populations; third, the coordination between blue carbon wealth and coastal economic wealth has steadily improved, suggesting that ecological restoration and economic growth are becoming more compatible. The result of the present study could provide policy insights for aligning ecological and economic goals in coastal zones.

Keywords

Blue carbon / Blue carbon wealth / Coastal economy / Coordination

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Funding

National Key Research and Development Program of China(2022YFC3105405)

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

The Author(s), under exclusive licence to the International Society of Energy and Environmental Science