Video: Recording: ICRLP 1st Annual Conference: Research Governance for Ocean-based CDR (Institute for Carbon Removal Law and Policy)
“Ocean-based carbon dioxide removal (CDR) [1] is gaining interest among scientists, policymakers, and entrepreneurs as a strategy for reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations to lessen anthropogenic climate change. Nevertheless, key questions remain unanswered about ocean-based CDR technologies, including: what is their additional carbon sequestration potential? How can we measure and verify long-term carbon sequestration? How will implementation impact the human and marine environment, and are these costs worth any proven carbon sequestration benefit? We must answer these questions before we can decide whether ocean-based CDR should be implemented at the gigaton scale. Consequently, responsible research should seek to answer these questions. Nevertheless, an ad hoc and ungoverned research agenda may itself lead to adverse environmental impacts, inequitable outcomes, and undue risk to communities and the ocean, which may subsequently erode social license and generate significant public opposition to ocean-based CDR. [2] We therefore propose a governance framework for ocean-based CDR research. Our framework aims to ensure that research is conducted in a manner that advances promising methods while eliminating excessively risky or unverifiable methods; facilitates public, rightsholder, and stakeholder engagement; and requires investigation of and transparency about risks to the human and marine environment.”