What is Ocean Carbon Dioxide Removal Anyway?

On March 22, 2022, the OA Alliance and The Ocean Foundation hosted a panel discussion with OA practitioners in the public and private sectors about the research and investment needed to explore the potential utility of Ocean-based Carbon Dioxide Removal strategies and how they relate to OA, including potential benefits or consequences. A summary of the discussion is below.

While reducing anthropogenic carbon emissions is the #1 action needed to combat ocean acidification, additional strategies may be needed to assist carbon sequestration and advance resilience building actions to limit ocean acidification and achieve global climate goals. A new report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine outlines six ocean-based Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) approaches that are in need of further research. These approaches can be understood as part of a broader land and coastal based CDR research agenda to help meet the goals set forth in the Paris Climate Agreement. For more information about the report, visit the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine.

Panelists:

Matthew Eisaman, Co-Founder and CTO, Ebb Carbon and Associate Professor, Stony Brook University

Dr. Jessica Cross, Research Oceanographer, Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration

Romany Webb, Associate Research Scholar, Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, Columbia Law School; Committee on a Research Strategy for Ocean CDR and Sequestration, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine

Brad Ack, Executive Director, Ocean Visions

Mark J. Spalding, President, The Ocean Foundation

Dr. Sarah Cooley, Director of Climate Science, Ocean Conservancy

Facilitator:

Jessie Turner, Director, International Alliance to Combat Ocean Acidification