Hannah Northey of E&E News reports that the U.S. is eyeing wetland restoration as a hedge against climate change.
- Restoring our wetlands and investing in coastal resiliency is one of the most cost effective ways to address climate change.
- In the lower 48 states, wetlands sequester roughly half of America’s net total greenhouse gas emissions, according to some estimates.
- Wetlands also improve ecological health and protect coastal communities from increased flood risk.
- In order to restore wetlands, the government should look to bottom-up solutions that empower local leaders and private property owners.
“Federal scientists are studying whether heat-trapping carbon dioxide can be sucked out of the atmosphere and sequestered in restored salt marshes, sea grass beds and mangrove swamps. And those wetlands can in turn protect communities along the coast from rising seas and fierce, frequent climate-driven storms.”
Read the full article here.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of C3.
