What does new research tell us about blue carbon?

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illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on BBC News or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: New research from the Manx Blue Carbon Project shows that marine ecosystems around the Isle of Man store around 500,000 tonnes of carbon in the top 10 cm of seabed habitats
• This highlighting the climate importance of coastal “blue carbon” ecosystems

🔭 The context: Scientists mapped marine habitats between 2022 and 2025, identifying key carbon-storing ecosystems such as seagrass meadows, saltmarshes and offshore muddy seabeds
• The largest carbon store was found in the Western Irish Sea Mud Belt, a large offshore seabed area west of the island

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Blue carbon ecosystems, coastal habitats that capture and store carbon, can play a major role in climate mitigation
• However, the research found that areas with higher fishing intensity stored less carbon, suggesting human activity can weaken this natural climate buffer

⏭️ What’s next: The Manx government plans a 2026–2030 action plan that includes creating new marine reserves, protecting saltmarshes, conserving eelgrass areas, and reviewing fishing practices such as bottom trawling to enhance carbon storage

💬 One quote: “This research gives us the evidence we need to protect our marine environment wisely.” — Clare Barber, Environment Minister for the Isle of Man

📈 One stat: The carbon stored in these habitats equals 1.8 million tonnes of CO₂ — roughly the annual emissions of about 390,000 cars

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