Date: 28/12/2022

Relevance: GS-3: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth; Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment

Key Phrases: Blue Economy, blue-carbon solutions, 2070 net-zero target, carbon sequestration, Coastal ecosystems, ‘Nature’ journal, ‘Long-Term Low-Carbon Development Strategy’ document, National Institute for Blue-carbon, Blue Carbon Initiative, International Partnership for Blue Carbon.

Why in News?

• Environmental Experts suggested that India must adopt blue-carbon solutions if it intends to emerge as a global climate leader.
• India’s commitment to its 2070 net-zero target entails that it must explore all blue carbon interventions to their fullest.

What is Blue Carbon?

• Blue Carbon presents in nature-based solutions like blue carbon ecosystems e.g., mangroves, tidal and salt marshes, seagrasses, etc.
• Blue Carbon is crucial for carbon sequestration.

What are the climate change mitigation and adaptation benefits of blue carbon?

1. Large 7,500+ kilometer-long coastline:
   • India could presently have about 5,000 sq. km of mangroves, 500 sq. km of seagrasses, and around 300 to 1400 sq. km of salt marshes.
   • They cumulatively add up to about 0.5 percent of the country’s total area.
   • Despite their small area, these coastal systems can sequester carbon considerably faster and for millions of years.
2. Mangroves, seagrasses and salt marshes can capture carbon dioxide (CO2) up to 20 times greater than any other terrestrial ecosystem, including boreal and tropical forests.
3. Coastal ecosystem’s total carbon sequestration potential has been estimated at around 700 million tons of CO2 about 22 percent of India’s annual carbon emission.
4. Coastal ecosystems provide many climate adaptation benefits:
   • Provide protection from hurricanes and sea-level rise.
   • Prevent shoreline erosion.
   • Regulate coastal water quality.
   • Also offer several ecosystem services such as food security, livelihoods (small-scale fisheries), and biodiversity.

What are the hurdles in utilization of blue carbon potential?

1. Coastal ecosystems erosion due to :
   • High rate of urbanization
   • Conversion of land into agriculture and aquaculture
   • Extreme weather events
2. The ‘Nature’ journal mentions India as a ‘blue carbon wealth recipient country’ instead of a blue carbon ‘donor’ country.
   • Journal suggests an underutilisation of blue carbon resources in India.
3. India’s ‘Long-Term Low-Carbon Development Strategy’ document submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is not focusing on blue carbon opportunity.
4. The absence of a clear pathway for the restoration of blue carbon storage assets can be a major source of carbon emissions in the future.

How can India give impetus to blue carbon initiatives?

1. Need of proper strategy:
   • Currently, lack of focus on blue carbon in India’s low-carbon strategy.
   • India must bring about a ‘sea change’ in its understanding of its coastal ecosystems as a strategic carbon sequestration reserve.
2. India has turned a blind eye toward blue carbon possibilities.
   • India’s previous activities under its afforestation and reforestation initiatives include only minor aspects of the restoration and rejuvenation of coastal ecosystems.
   • The need is to earmark and unify such projects under the broader umbrella of ‘blue-carbon’ to keep up with the evolving nature of global climate policy.
3. Establish National Institute for Blue-carbon:
   • The Government of India so far relied only on homogenous literature on blue carbon, often by very few subject matter experts.
   • Need is to create, compile, and formalize these databases towards institutionalizing blue carbon work stream.
   • India must bring about a ‘sea change’ in its understanding of its coastal ecosystems as a strategic carbon sequestration reserve.
4. Learn from other successful initiatives :
   • India must learn from specialised peer organisations like the National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE), National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), National Institute of Bioenergy (NIBE) etc.to set up an organization for the blue-carbon sector.
   • New institute can collaborate closely with the Indian Meteorological Department, National Institute of Oceanography, National Botanical Research Institute and IIT Bombay’s National Center of Excellence in Carbon Capture and Utilization. to fulfill the necessary conditions needed to catalyze this sector.
5. Need to promote the establishment of requisite standards, codes, and peer-review frameworks for assessing blue carbon solutions.
6. India needs human resource skilling activities:
   • Incubate start-ups.
   • Promote innovation clusters that prevent the degradation of coastal ecosystems.
   • Promote initiatives that retain soil nutrition and conserve indigenous biodiversity and also respecting cultures and aspirations of local communities.

Why does India need a National mission for blue carbon?

• To streamline the technological developments with financial and policy interventions in the blue-carbon sector.
• Mission can decide national targets for relevant sectors that contribute towards the development of a blue-carbon ecosystem.
• Mission can define the phase-wise strategies for value-chain development for acquiring knowledge, manpower, money, and materials that can stimulate the country’s collective efforts.
• Mission can identify the potential demand generation actions like blue carbon obligations while pushing to put in place the key enablers for domestic and international players in this space.
• Mission can be instrumental in setting up a robust carbon market in the country.
• Mission can launch pilot projects with the private sector/NGOs/Think Tanks while ensuring appropriate monitoring, compliance, and risk-mitigation guidelines.
• Mission can be empirically validated through pilots and decide financial outlays for the short-to-medium terms to outperform market expectations.
• Mission can streamline technological developments with financial and policy interventions in the blue-carbon sector.

Why does India need International collaboration?

• Due to its geostrategic location, India can be a leading beacon to synchronize cross-functional and cross-continental efforts in the blue carbon space.
• India can forge meaningful consensus across bilateral and multilateral forums.
• India must actively participate in platforms like the Blue Carbon Initiative, International Partnership for Blue Carbon, and various upcoming projects related to nurturing blue forests in the Indian ocean.
• India’s recent support of the French-led ‘High Ambition Coalition on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction’ and its participation in the ‘One Ocean Summit’ are early steps in the right direction.
• India can also support Small Island Developing States (SIDS) on their vast blue carbon resources.

Conclusion:

• The water bodies surrounding India have deeply influenced its civilizational evolution. Its ancient ethos, literature and manuscripts have always venerated the gifts received from the high seas.
• India’s ambitions to emerge as a climate leader warrants its rise as a leader in the blue-carbon arena.
• The lack of India’s thought leadership on this front has led to disappointment amongst such countries in the climate dialogues. As India has recently taken over the presidency of the G20, it can summon its capabilities to fill in this void.

Source: Observer Research Foundation

Mains Question

Q. Blue carbon initiatives can trigger a revolutionary change in the fight against climate change and global warming - from being a symbolic to substantial agent. Analyze.(15 marks)