PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 18, 2021
In Maine, we have tens of thousands of acres of salt marshes and eelgrass meadows. They serve a vital function in mitigating climate change. On a per-acre basis, healthy blue carbon coastal ecosystems are up to 10 times more efficient at capturing and storing carbon than forests. The plan recently released by the Maine Climate Council titled “Maine Won’t Wait” recognizes this by recommending the protection and restoration of blue carbon ecosystems as one of many strategies for enhancing our natural carbon sinks. Beyond the Maine plan, the Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act of 2020, released last October, implements a suite of ocean-based climate solutions, including setting the goal of protecting and restoring 1.5 million acres of blue carbon ecosystems nationwide over the next 10 years. ~ Beverly Johnson, member, Maine Coastal Carbon Working Group