JBE is a research cooperative authorised by Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, responsible for advancing the nation’s marine decarbonisation and restoration efforts through the foundation, improvement and management of the blue carbon credit scheme called J-Blue Credit. JBE has established the world´s first blue natural capital market, which recognises wild and farmed kelp as part of blue carbon ecosystems.
The credits continue to trade at prices well over $400/t, which is 10 times greater than other similar carbon initiatives, and is a pioneering approach for other countries to emulate.
In his new role, Takeda will work closely with international policymakers, lawmakers, regulators, scientific institutes, industry leaders and civil society to facilitate knowledge sharing around Japan’s successful blue natural capital credit market. Takeda will also use his practical experience generating blue natural capital credits through wild kelp restoration, to provide more context on how the market works in practice.
Tsuyoshi Takeda, commented in a press release: “I am deeply honoured to join the JBE in this capacity, and help the world understand Japan’s unique blue natural capital market design, and how it successfully brought some of Japan’s largest corporations to fund important restoration initiatives via this mechanism.”
Dr Tomohiro Kuwae, president of Japan Blue Economy Association, added: “We welcome Brian Tsuyoshi Takeda to our team and are excited to have him share our experiences with our colleagues around the world, who are currently working to establish blue natural capital markets in their respective countries. Creating and certifying high-quality carbon credits and designing the market properly are critical to not only secure alignment among stakeholders but also ensure equitable value of credits that make restoration truly possible.”
