Proposal 010 - Joyce Watson MS

The following is a proposal for a Member Bill tabled during the Sixth Senedd:

Proposing Member:

Joyce Watson MS

Title of the proposed Bill:

Blue Carbon (Wales) Bill

Policy Objectives of the proposed Bill:

The main aim of the Bill would be to develop, implement and fund a national Blue Carbon Recovery Plan for Wales. The Bill and the recovery plan would:

1. Establish a Wales Blue Carbon Forum. For the purposes of funding and bringing together current R&D into blue carbon in Wales.
2. Ensure a blue carbon audit for Wales is undertaken to help address current gaps in the evidence base of Welsh blue carbon stocks.
3. Establish ‘blue carbon protection zones’ in Wales. For the purposes of providing additional protection for key stands of blue carbon storage or areas of sea or coast that sequester high amounts of CO2 in Wales (such as muddy habitats, biogenic reefs, seagrass and saltmarsh).
4. Ensure investment in and incentivise ‘climate smart’ fisheries in Wales. For the purposes of reducing pressure on blue carbon stores of active fishing gear by incentivising the use of low-impact and passive fishing gears.
5. Protect blue carbon already within Marine Protected Areas. For the purpose of prohibiting some activities that have the potential to cause significant damage to blue carbon habitats (such as anchoring and bottom towed fishing gear).
6. Adopt actions to decarbonise the Welsh fishing fleet by:
   1. setting out a programme to replace older vessels with new energy efficient vessels and alternative fuel use; and
   2. removing any existing harmful fuel subsidies.
7. Invest in fish carbon restoration strategies, with the purpose of supporting:
   1. incentivisation and promotion of low-carbon, sustainable fish and aquaculture products in Wales;
   2. the reduction of waste in the seafood supply chain; and
   3. the promotion of climate smart aquaculture production.

Supporting information

There is currently no legislative driver to protect areas of sea and coast specifically for the storage and sequestration of carbon dioxide in Wales.
The Environment (Wales) Act 2016 requires the Welsh Government to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in Wales by at least 80% for the year 2050 with a system of interim emissions targets and carbon budgets. The Welsh Government has since committed to a net-zero by 2050 emissions reduction target.

At around 32,000 km², the Welsh marine area is 35% larger than the Welsh land mass. A recent NRW report (July 2020)i highlighted that at least 113 Million tonnes of carbon are already stored in Welsh marine habitats; this equates to almost 10 years’ worth of Welsh carbon emissions. It furthermore represents over 170 % of the carbon held in Welsh forests.

The ocean plays a dominant role in the global carbon cycle and is responsible for taking up 25 to 30 percent of anthropogenic CO2 released into the atmosphere. However, ocean ecosystems are severely threatened by the way we use them, and by climate change. A recent study (Luisetti et al. 2019) suggested that the UK could damage up to US$12 billion’s worth of shelf sea sediment carbon stores over the next 25 years, if we do not address the mismanagement of our seas.

The ocean, and how we use it, has a key role to play in mitigating climate breakdown through providing low-carbon emission sources of protein; locking down ‘blue carbon’ and restoring ‘fish carbon’; by providing renewable sources of energy; and through decarbonising ocean industry – but we must change the way we use the ocean to ensure it has the resilience to help us mitigate climate change. This is why we are calling for new legislation in Wales to address the legislative gap in protection and additional management of these valuable marine and coastal assets.