Experts moot carbon credit from EKW to boost climate resilience

Kolkata: Experts at the India-Germany Climate Talks in Kolkata on Thursday said it was time to recognise and monetise the economic value of wetlands, like the East Kolkata Wetlands (EKW), citing their potential to generate carbon credits while delivering ecological and livelihood benefits.The discussion, titled ‘Beautiful Wetlands: Partnering for Water, Partnering for Life', was hosted at the Goethe-Institut Kolkata and brought together stakeholders from govt, industry and civil society. Speakers said wetlands, often overlooked in urban planning, could serve as nature-based solutions by combining wastewater treatment, carbon sequestration and income generation.Opening the session, consul general, German consulate general in Kolkata, Barbara Voss said: "Wetlands are not only rich in biodiversity but essential for climate resilience and sustainable livelihoods," she said, pointing to the Indo-German Green and Sustainable Development Partnership as a platform for joint climate action.Speakers said wetlands across India supported nearly 6% of the population, acted as natural carbon sinks, strengthened water and food security, and buffered extreme climate events like floods and storm surges. Panellists described EKW as a globally significant model of sustainable urban ecology.A designated Ramsar site, EKW functions as a natural sewage treatment system, recycling Kolkata's wastewater into resources that sustained fisheries and agriculture. Nobina Gupta of Disappearing Dialogues said such systems could go beyond environmental benefits to create measurable economic value through carbon markets, making conservation financially viable.Former chief wildlife warden Debal Roy said, "Sundarbans are vital ecological buffers that protect coastal populations while supporting millions of livelihoods."Speakers also stressed the need to mobilise large-scale financing for wetland conservation, pointing to blended finance, green sukuk, water bonds, biodiversity credits and carbon markets as tools to attract private investment to climate-resilient ecosystems.With developing countries requiring $2 trillion-$4 trillion annually for climate action, and over $210 trillion in global private assets, experts said wetlands presented a significant yet underutilised investment opportunity. "This is not just a financing gap, but a market opportunity waiting to be unlocked," said Madhura Mitra, partner, climate and carbon, sustainability, transformation, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).Taina Dyckhoff, climate change expert from Germany, said sustained collaboration was essential while Shambhavi Krishna of GIZ, who moderated the talk, described Indiawetlands as "hidden infrastructure" that provided services like water purification, flood control and livelihood support, often at a fraction of the cost of engineered alternatives.Get real-time updates and result insights on the CBSE 12 Result 2026.