Linking climate change mitigation and adaptation through coastal green–gray infrastructure: a perspective

Abstract

The role of coastal blue carbon ecosystems in climate mitigation and adaptation efforts has been recognized. Blue carbon ecosystem functionality is one component of coastal naturebased or green-gray infrastructure multifunctionality, which includes contributions by nature to disaster risk reduction, infrastructure resilience, erosion control, land formation, and other ecosystem services. Here we review how green infrastructure and nature-based solutions in coastal and shallow nearshore areas can contribute to blue climate change mitigation and adaptation. We then summarize available coastal infrastructure types (green, gray, and greengray hybrid) in terms of their inherent functions and potential co-benefits. We discuss technologies for integrating gray and green infrastructure and producing hybrid infrastructure to promote implementation of measures for both climate change and infrastructure development, although the best infrastructure type is dependent on the risks of a given time and locality. Collaboration among engineers, scientists, and economists who are interested in climate change or infrastructure and in emerging fields such as blue carbon and green infrastructure are needed to further enhance the implementation of multifunctional infrastructure, but the multifunctionality benefits should be quantified and monetized.

Public–private partnerships for sustainable infrastructure development in Ghana: a systematic review and recommendations

“…Such projects must be redesigned to suit climatic changes leading to increased project costs and delays in the completion of the projects. Addressing these challenges, advanced nations and global bodies, such as UN, have advocated for climate action (UN's SDG 13) for sustaining public projects with the support of private partners (Kuwae and Crooks, 2021). However, it was clear from the review of the 60 articles that this important issue has received little coverage in the research and policies in the context of Ghana.…”

Identifying and protecting macroalgae detritus sinks toward climate change mitigation

“…Verifying these processes with field measurements of flows at sources and sedimentary sinks could provide a necessary evidence basis to support a policy development boost toward the conservation of macroalgal carbon donor and sink habitats, including natural communities as well as farmed seaweed (Kuwae & Crooks, 2021) (Figure 6). Protecting and enhancing sources and sinks together, alongside a potentially booming global seaweed farming industry, could provide, in tandem, important outcomes for blue growth.…”

“…Protecting those potential sinks, along with their sources, could therefore become a viable strategy to expand the proportion of global ocean falling under blue carbon activities in the near future (Fig. 6) (Kuwae and Crooks 2021;Queirós et al 2019).…”

Leveraging the blue economy to transform marine forest restoration

“…These lessons from forests also apply to seaweed forest restoration, with seeding seaweeds being analogous to planting tree seedlings/saplings. Afforestation using artificial reefs seeded with seaweeds (although they function differently than natural reefs) could work well in areas with a limited supply of propagules, on heavily modified urban coasts with infill, artificial structures, and no natural reefs or on wind turbines or other infrastructure being added to the coastal zone (e.g., green/gray infrastructure; Kuwae and Crooks 2021). In areas where stressors like pollution are reduced, but the degraded system persists, active restoration can help overcome negative ecological feedbacks that prevent natural recruitment (Vergés et al.…”