Name: The unexpected, underwater plant fighting climate change
Uploaded: 2022-01-18T15:55:44Z
Duration: 12 min 6 s
Description: Once considered the ugly duckling of environmental conservation, seagrass is emerging as a powerful tool for climate action. From drawing down carbon to filtering plastic pollution, marine scientist Carlos M. Duarte details the incredible things this oceanic hero does for our planet -- and shows ingenious ways he and his team are protecting and rebuilding marine life.

Once considered the ugly duckling of environmental conservation, seagrass is emerging as a powerful tool for climate action. From drawing down carbon to filtering plastic pollution, marine scientist Carlos M. Duarte details the incredible things this oceanic hero does for our planet -- and shows ingenious ways he and his team are protecting and rebuilding marine life.

Carlos M. Duarte: The unexpected, underwater plant fighting climate change

The unexpected, underwater plant fighting climate change

Seagrasses, occupying 0.1% of the seafloor, remove a third of the ocean's sequestered carbon annually, outpacing forests.

Ancient seagrass clone, germinating 200,000 years ago, now spans the size of Manhattan, marking one of Earth's oldest living entities.

Innovative partnerships with sea turtles and tiger sharks are unlocking secrets of seagrass meadows, aiding in marine protection efforts.