Ocean Organizations Unite to Call for Precaution in Ocean Carbon Dioxide Removal Research

6 June 2023

Today, a group of international ocean policy and conservation experts from nine organizations based in North America and Europe, including Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML), released new recommendations for ocean carbon dioxide removal (OCDR) research: Precautionary Principles for Ocean Carbon Dioxide Removal Research.

To limit warming to 1.5C and successfully achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, the group stresses that drastic cuts to global greenhouse gas emissions are needed, noting that "the longer we take, the more we’ll need carbon dioxide removal methods and calls for OCDR research are growing louder". 
 
Highlighting that no OCDR methods are ready to be deployed yet at scales that could alter the climate, the authors have identified a series of key principles and actions for how OCDR research should progress to ensure that it can benefit the climate without harming the ocean and people:

Community engagement is essential.

• Transparency is fundamental.
• Carbon removal must be verified.
• An enforceable research code of conduct must be adopted.
• Multidisciplinary research is required.
• Rigorous, standardized monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) procedures must be established.

Access the recommendations here >>
 
The ocean’s role in climate solutions will be a popular topic over the next two weeks as SBSTA 58, the Bonn Climate Change Conference, and the U.S. Capitol Hill Ocean Week (CHOW) proceed.

"As pressures on the ocean multiply, it’s more important than ever that climate solutions do not harm the ocean or people who rely on it."

PML's Dr Helen Findlay - who was among the contributors - commented:

“Ocean-based CO2 removal (OCDR) is rightly attracting a great deal of attention in terms of its potential for helping to mitigate climate change impacts but the testing and adoption of any new technologies and processes needs to be underpinned with rigorous scientific research to ensure safety and sustainability. The appetite to accelerate the use of OCDR must be balanced with approaches which are inclusive, transparent and robustly verified and it is important that investment is directed towards supporting outcomes which are genuinely beneficial for society and the environment.”