EMB launches two new publications on Coastal Resilience and Blue Carbon at EurOCEAN 2023 conference

Today, on 10 October 2023 at the EurOCEAN2023 conference in Vigo, Spain, EMB launches Position Paper No. 27 ‘Building Coastal Resilience in Europe’ and Policy Brief No. 11 ‘Blue Carbon: Challenges and opportunities to mitigate the climate and biodiversity crises’ during a dedicated session. The session is moderated by the co-Chair of the EMB Working Group on Coastal Resilience, Kristin Richter, and features presentations by Sebastian Villasante (Chair of the EMB Working Group on Coastal Resilience) and Natalie Hicks (member of EMB Working Group on Blue Carbon), as well as insights from Ana Isabel Lillebo (Lead of A-AAGORA project) as part on the panel discussion.

Building Coastal Resilience in Europe:

European coasts face multiple, interacting and cumulative pressures including those resulting from increasing greenhouse gas emissions (e.g. sea-level rise, Ocean warming, Ocean acidification, extreme events) and localised activities such as fishing, aquaculture, waste disposal and coastal urbanisation. These create a unique set of context-specific issues that need to be addressed holistically using a systems approach, considering the dynamics between both coastal societies and ecosystems as part of interconnected social-ecological systems. EMB Position Paper No. 27 ‘Building Coastal Resilience in Europe’ provides an overview of concepts and frameworks for building coastal resilience, a six-step approach for their use in coastal management, and an overview of key pressures facing European coastal social-ecological systems and their impacts. It also highlights tools for building coastal resilience, with a specific focus on coastal protection and Nature-based Solutions, as well as barriers and enablers to their implementation and uses three case-studies across Europe to demonstrate key concepts. The document closes with key policy and scientific recommendations on how to build coastal resilience and enhance capacity to cope with impacts from climate change and other coastal pressures. 

Find out more about the Position Paper and download here.

The online launch webinar of Position Paper No. 27 ‘Building Coastal Resilience in Europe’ will take place on 19 October from 13:00 – 14:30 CEST. Register here.

Blue Carbon:

Blue Carbon ecosystems are a Nature-based Solution that can help mitigate the climate and biodiversity crises, while stabilising livelihoods, protecting coasts, and supporting other societal needs such as food security from the Ocean. However, the effectiveness of Blue Carbon ecosystems as a Nature-based Solution depends on the available space and ecosystem productivity, which can be impacted by climate change. Moreover, the overall carbon sequestration potential of Blue Carbon ecosystems is low and their contribution to climate stabilisation will only be significant once greenhouse gas emissions are strongly limited. EMB Policy Brief No. 11 ‘Blue Carbon: Challenges and opportunities to mitigate the climate and biodiversity crises’ describes examples and benefits of Blue Carbon ecosystems, and discusses uncertainties and challenges for using Blue Carbon ecosystem as a climate change solution. The document also highlights the wider role of the Ocean in mitigating climate change through the carbon cycle, and closes with key research and management recommendations.

Find out more about the Policy Brief and download here.

The EMB Policy Brief on Blue Carbon will also be presented during a dedicated webinar, which will take place on 20 November from 14:00 – 13:30 CET. Register here.