Seaweed Carbon Farming

Oceans 2050 is developing a methodology for the voluntary carbon offset market. Once approved, it will enable seaweed farms to issue carbon credits, allowing them to benefit financially from the CO2 their farms sequester. This initiative aims to create a scalable blue carbon market and drive global expansion of this sustainable climate solution.

The methodology is part of a study led by Professor Duarte, featured in Nature, on ocean restoration. It assesses the role of seaweed aquaculture in helping the world's oceans recover and combat climate change. The goal is to establish a scientifically robust foundation for a voluntary carbon protocol for seaweed farming. This protocol will be a public resource, enabling seaweed farmers to monetize the carbon impact of their activities for the first time.

A 15-month study will quantify carbon sequestration by seaweed sediments across five continents. The research involves a global network of seaweed scientists and farm operators sampling sediments from 19 seaweed farms in 12 countries. This will provide empirical evidence for carbon sequestration rates.

The Seaweed Carbon Farming Project is supported by the ClimateWorks Foundation and the Jeremy and Hannelore Grantham Environmental Trust.