"The destruction of seagrass could derail progress in reining in planet-warming emissions and cost billions in environmental damage."

"JOHANNESBURG - Alongside forests, soil and wetlands, another powerful natural carbon absorber critical to tackling climate change lies hidden beneath the ocean surface: seagrass.

The loss of these underwater meadows, also known as blue carbon, could hobble efforts to tackle climate change, both financially and environmentally, a new study has found.

So what exactly is this marine vegetation, and what else did the research find?

Seagrass is a type of flowering plant found in shallow coastal waters around every continent except Antarctica, according to the study published in the journal Nature Communications in collaboration with Conservation International."

Kim Harrisberg reports for Thomson Reuters Foundation May 13, 2025. [2]