Welcome to blue carbon month! This month, we are celebrating wonderful whales, super seagrass and magnificent mangroves, along with all the marine ecosystems and wildlife which lock up huge amounts of carbon, protecting us all from the climate crisis.

• Sign the open letter telling world leaders to protect blue carbon ecosystems and our climate

What is blue carbon?

Our ocean gives us our every second breath. It absorbs around a third of the CO2 we pump out, and has taken in a nuclear bomb’s worth of heat every second for the past 150 years. It underpins our climate system and keeps our planet habitable: It is the blue beating heart of our planet.

More than half of all biological carbon captured is stored by marine wildlife – this is blue carbon.

Where do you find blue carbon?

Blue carbon is in every part of the ecosystem, from the coasts, where seagrass meadows store nearly 20 gigatonnes of carbon worldwide, to the open sea, where the great whales sequester millions of tonnes of carbon each year.

What’s going on with blue carbon at the moment, and how can I get involved?

Sadly, despite their incredible importance, blue carbon ecosystems and wildlife don’t get the recognition or protection they deserve. Whales are still struggling, and mangroves and seagrass meadows are in retreat globally. We want to see thriving wildlife and ecosystems, and a “seaforestation” of the mangroves and seagrass meadows which have been lost.

That’s why we are joining with other NGOs, celebrities and scientific experts to send a clear message to world leaders: protect blue carbon! Our open letter to protect ocean environments will be delivered ahead of the crunch climate talks in Glasgow this year.

Your voice makes a difference! Sign the letter to tell world leaders to stand up for the oceans here.

You can also join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #KeepItInTheSea. We’ve got a selection of videos, images and posts for you, which are all freely available here.

These extraordinary ecosystems need our support more than ever. We are glad to be standing up for them with you!