Yokohama – On a recent Saturday, a group of dedicated volunteers gathered on a popular beach in Yokohama to take part in a unique project aimed at combating climate change. Wading into the shallows, they carefully planted strands of light-green eelgrass on the seabed, in an effort to restore the natural ecosystem along the city’s coastline.
What started as a local initiative has now gained national significance, as Japan strives to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. As the world’s fifth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, Japan is exploring innovative ways to reduce its carbon footprint. With its extensive coastlines, the country has turned to marine vegetation as a promising method of capturing carbon dioxide.
According to marine scientist Keita Furukawa, the eelgrass planting project has shown promising results in absorbing and storing carbon, thus helping to combat climate change. In a groundbreaking move, Japan recently included the carbon absorbed by seagrass and seaweed beds in its annual Greenhouse Gas Inventory submitted to the United Nations.
The Environment Ministry estimates that in the current fiscal year, the amount of “blue carbon” stored by marine and coastal ecosystems in Japan is approximately 350,000 metric tons. While this is a small fraction of the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions, the importance of blue carbon is growing as Japan’s forests age and become less effective at absorbing carbon dioxide.
Furukawa believes that if eelgrass were to thrive in all suitable areas of the sea, it could potentially absorb a significant portion of human emissions. With efforts to capture carbon both on land and in the sea, Japan is taking proactive steps towards a more sustainable future. The eelgrass planting project serves as a shining example of how community-led initiatives can make a real difference in the fight against climate change.