Will wetlands help us cope?

Wetlands, as we know, are picturesque locations with lush green paddy fields and beckoning backwaters with gorgeous slender birds and mighty mangroves. Well, these beautiful places on earth are also amongst the biggest sinks of Carbon. Unbelievable Right?

Found in trace amounts, Carbon dioxide or CO2 is famous for its global warming potential. Right now, as we write this article, atmospheric CO2 is at ~410.25ppm (ideal - 350ppm). To limit the warming of planet earth by 1.5 Degree, we need to reduce emissions but most importantly sequester or catch and store CO2.

Carbon sequestration generally occurs across all biomes above and below the ground naturally. Yet below the ground storage of Carbon is the most efficient and wetlands are undeniably the best after ocean (which are the biggest carbon sinks).

It’s simple; we are emitting a lot. We talk about planting more trees to capture carbon.

But the potential of wetlands to catch all that CO2 is much higher than what trees can do.

What is carbon sequestration in wetlands?