At the Jan. 6, 2021, City Commission meeting, commissioners approved a resolution supporting House Bill H.R.5589 and U.S. Senate - Senate Bill S.3939 jointly titled Blue Carbon for Our Planet Act. This bipartisan legislation seeks to establish an Interagency Working Group for the purpose of analyzing, mapping, studying and preserving existing coastal blue carbon, which refers to the coastal vegetated ecosystems which include mangroves, tidal marshes, seagrasses and other tidal or salt-water wetlands. The Daytona Beach City Commission recognizes the need to protect and preserve the environment to ensure the health, wellbeing, economic stability, and overall enjoyment of our community’s future. By resolution, our city joins together to urge our esteemed members of Congress to pass this legislation in support of the environment and our future generations.
The International Blue Carbon Initiative is a coordinated, global program focused on mitigating climate change through the conservation and restoration of coastal and marine ecosystems. Blue carbon is the carbon stored in coastal and marine ecosystems. The Blue Carbon Initiative currently focuses on carbon in coastal ecosystems - mangroves, tidal marshes and seagrasses. These ecosystems sequester and store large quantities of blue carbon in both the plants and the sediment below. For example, over 95% of the carbon in seagrass meadows is stored in the soils. (Source: The Blue Carbon Initiative website.)
These important ecosystems are considered invaluable in the preservation of our environment. Many of these sensitive areas exist in Daytona Beach, Volusia County and throughout the State of Florida.
Coastal communities with blue carbon ecosystems are better protected. They provide a silent service, capturing carbon from emissions that would otherwise contribute to climate change, while acting as nurseries for our fish, improving water quality, and protecting our shorelines. (Source: Daytona News-Journal article titled: ‘Blue Carbon’ could help preserve Volusia, Flagler, St. Johns fragile coastal ecosystems.)
The resolution of support urges our congressional representatives to vote in support of the Blue Carbon for Our Planet Act. The resolution also authorizes the City Clerk’s Office to forward the resolution in support to Representative Michael Waltz, Senator Marco Rubio and Senator Rick Scott.
For more information, visit the Blue Carbon Initiative website.