Seafarers plant mangroves to offset carbon emissions
THE International Maritime Organisation (IMO) highlights that the maritime transport industry emits about 940 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually; making it one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions in the world.
This makes the maritime industry responsible for about 2.5 per cent of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the world, according to the Third IMO GHG study conducted in 2014.
Since Fiji rely heavily on the maritime industry, seafarers and maritime workers play a critical role in the reduction of GHG.
One way in which seafarers are trying to offset this GHG emission is through small effective activities like mangrove tree planting exercise.
Mangroves having the ability to act as effective carbon stores with its soils being rich in carbon (which the tree itself absorbs) reduces the planet’s exposure to dangerous gasses.
The Steering Fiji Women Seafarers Association (SFWSA) members and friends conducted its first mangrove tree planting exercise in Suva last week.
Steering Fiji Women Seafarers Association (SFWSA) executive member Mere Naleba said its members worked in the maritime industry with the shipping sector being identified as one of the key carbon dioxide emitters in the world.
“Records by the IMO state that the maritime transport emits about 940 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.
“Our members are seafarers and hold the ocean and the maritime sector close to their hearts so we thought that with the shipping sector being identified as one of the contributor to the pollution of the marine environment and air, we decided that planting mangroves was a way that we can help in offsetting at least a percentage of carbon emissions from our local maritime transport.
“It is also another way of educating and creating awareness on the need to protect our marine environment.”
She said a lot of children were involved in the exercise, which allowed young people to be appreciative of nature and in protecting it.
“This is one of many for the association and we plant to have another planting program soon,” she said.
She said another reason behind the exercise was the association going in line with Government’s initiative through the Ministry of Forestry’s four million trees in four years.
“After many deliberations and discussion on what project we were to take up, we decided on mangrove planting.”
The team managed to plant 8000 mangrove seedlings last week. The team also thanked the Ministry of Forestry and Ministry of Land in assisting them in getting mangroves seedlings and in allocating a space for the team to plant.