As the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions becomes a global issue, blue carbon, which is carbon dioxide absorbed in the ocean, is attracting attention. In Minamisanriku Town, Miyagi Prefecture, we have decided to become the first in Japan to aim for blue carbon certification through oyster farming.
Carbon dioxide absorbed in the ocean through organisms such as seaweed such as wakame seaweed and kelp is called "blue carbon" and is attracting worldwide attention as it leads to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
For this reason, Minamisanriku Town, in cooperation with Tohoku University, focused on the seaweed that adheres to the specialty oyster cultivation shelves, and decided to aim for blue carbon certification by the carbon dioxide absorbed by the seaweed.
According to Japan's blue carbon certification body, if it is approved for oyster farming, it will be the first in Japan.
Since the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed that has been certified as blue carbon can be bought and sold through a certification body, Minamisanriku Town plans to have companies interested in reducing greenhouse gas emissions buy it.
Michio Kondo, a professor at Tohoku University's Graduate School of Economics who supervises the initiative, says, "We want to create a system that allows local regions to promote their resources economically by successfully converting them into value."