Despite their huge potential as blue carbon sinks, the majority are under threat from the cultivation of palm oil, rice and aquaculture at current carbon prices, on top of cyclones and sea-level rise over the next century, researchers warn.
Developing the credit markets will address a funding gap for nature-based solutions, said Tharman Shanmugaratnam. His proposal faced pushback from other panellists at the World Economic Forum who cautioned against commodifying nature.