Scaling Coastal Climate Solutions: The Potential for Blue Carbon in Net-Zero Strategies
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About Blue Carbon
Coastal ecosystems such as mangroves, seagrasses, and salt marshes—collectively known as blue carbon—are some of the most efficient natural carbon sinks on the planet, storing carbon up to 10x faster than terrestrial forests. They also protect coastlines, support fisheries, and provide critical habitat for biodiversity. Yet these ecosystems are disappearing rapidly, and their protection remains underfunded in most climate strategies.
The importance of blue carbon is beginning to gain traction among corporate sustainability teams, but it still represents a small share of nature-based investments. There’s a clear opportunity to change that, especially in regions such as West Africa where high-impact restoration efforts are underway.
Case Study
This session studies the Keta Lagoon Blue Carbon Project – Ghana, a mangrove restoration project in Ghana’s Anlo Wetlands. It’s one of the few blue carbon projects of its kind currently in development globally, demonstrating measurable impact for climate, communities, and biodiversity. We also explore what credible blue carbon projects look like today, where the gaps are, and how companies can support this work in a way that aligns with climate, nature, and community goals.
Featured Speakers
- Dr. Whitney Johnston, Director of Ocean Sustainability, Salesforce
- Yihan Wang, Strategy & Climate Impact Advisor, Terraformation
- Amy Schmid, Global Blue Carbon Project Lead, Conservation International
- Ledama Masidza, Founder & Marine Conservationist, KindWorld Project
Topics of Discussion
- What to look for in a high-quality blue carbon project
- How blue carbon fits into broader net-zero strategies
- Why west Africa is a critical region for scalable blue carbon investment
Who Should Watch
This session is designed for corporate sustainability, ESG, and procurement professionals exploring nature-based climate solutions.
Meet the Speakers
About Whitney
Dr. Whitney Johnston is the Director of Ocean Sustainability at Salesforce, working to leverage the full power of Salesforce for the benefit of our oceans. Prior to Salesforce, Dr. Johnston served as Ocean Policy Adviser to U.S. Congressman Sam Farr and she worked for IdeaScale where she led strategy to help large organizations innovate.
Whitney holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Oceanography from MIT and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. She is a former Knauss Marine Policy Fellow with the NOAA Sea Grant Program, and she holds a BA in Chemistry from UC Berkeley.
About Yihan
Yihan Wang is part of Terraformation’s Climate Impact team, where she mobilizes and scales capital for forest and restoration projects.
She previously led the Catalytic Climate Finance Facility at the Climate Policy Initiative and managed portfolios at The Nature Conservancy’s NatureVest, structuring innovative conservation finance vehicles. Earlier in her career, she conducted research in Nepal on ecotourism and forest governance and has worked with U.S. economic development corporations to attract sustainable foreign investment.
Yihan holds a Master of Science in Environmental Science and Policy from the University of Michigan.
About Amy
Amy Schmid is the Global Blue Carbon Project Lead at Conservation International, where she leads scoping and feasibility assessments for early-stage blue carbon project opportunities and provides technical support to projects in development and implementation. With nearly a decade of experience in the carbon and climate space, Amy brings deep expertise in nature-based solutions.
Prior to joining Conservation International, she spent over six years at Verra, contributing to the development and oversight of carbon standards and natural climate solutions methodologies. She holds a Master of Science in biology from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Bachelor of Science in Biology, with a specialization in environmental and biological conservation, from the University of Virginia.
Ledama Masidza
About Ledama
Ledama Masidza is a Marine Conservationist, Indigenous Food Systems Advocate, and Impact Storyteller dedicated to advancing community-led climate solutions. His journey began on Kenya’s coastline, where he worked hand-in-hand with fishing communities to pioneer co-management of fisheries and restore degraded marine habitats. That grounding in frontline conservation shaped his conviction: lasting change must be rooted in local knowledge, cultural context, and community ownership.
Today, Ledama coordinates a global portfolio of philanthropic initiatives supporting grassroots conservation organizations, ensuring that those closest to the ecosystems have the resources and voice to protect them. His leadership and advocacy have earned him recognition as a Global Changemaker, Blue Champions Award winner, and World Economic Forum UpLink Top Innovator—accolades that reflect not only his personal vision but the collective power of communities he represents.
