Rooting for mangroves: Many reasons to expand these carbon sinks in India

The mangrove ecosystem offers economic benefits besides safeguarding the country's vast coastline

At the global climate conference held in Egypt recently, India became a member of the Mangrove Alliance for Climate, joining countries like Australia, Japan, Spain and Sri Lanka in preserving these coastal forests. Spearheaded by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in partnership with Indonesia, the initiative, which was launched at the conference, could be a game-changer in the efforts to put the brakes on global warming. And India could play a key role in this.

Studies have shown mangrove forests can absorb nearly five times more carbon emissions than forests on land. The UAE is already tapping this potential for