Wetlands play an important role in the global carbon cycle: they act as major carbon sinks due to their large standing biomass and their ability to capture and retain carbon in the form of peat. Carbon sequestration, through the restoration, enhancement, and creation of wetlands, can also reduce net greenhouse gas emissions and prevent further subsidence — a huge issue in the Delta. Former wetlands in the Delta have been diked off and drained, resulting in subsided organic soils 25 feet below sea level. These soils are a primary target for carbon management efforts in the Delta because they actively release greenhouse gases that can be attenuated through soil saturation.

Since 2016, this Action has shifted towards implementation. Additionally, agencies are looking for innovative ways to integrate carbon credits and multi-use lands into effective carbon sequestration practices. Many experts agree that accessing the carbon market is a difficult task in land management and carbon sequestration efforts, but doing so will be critical to creating a regional approach for funding restoration projects. Recent scientific studies have provided data on carbon fluxes in Bay Area wetland systems, but the scientific community has stressed that more data is needed to better understand carbon fluxes and life cycles in these systems before large scale carbon management measures can be deployed with certainty. These studies have shown that Bay Area wetlands are effective at sequestering carbon and release very limited quantities of methane, making them prime candidates for carbon credit funding. The social cost of carbon is an emerging concept in the Bay Area that estimates the long-term economic damages resulting from greenhouse gas emissions and should be directly addressed in future Actions and Tasks.