A new EU-funded project has been launched aimed at studying “Strategies for the Evaluation and Assessment of Ocean-based Carbon Dioxide Removal” (SEAO2-CDR).
The National Oceanography Centre (NOC) is the technical and scientific lead in the project and is partnered with different stakeholders, including the World Ocean Council (WOC). The project aims to assess if ocean-based carbon dioxide removal (OCDR) effectively removes CO2 from the Earth’s atmosphere.
According to Dr. Christopher Pearce, Principal Marine Geoscientist at NOC:
“Whilst decreasing the amount of greenhouse gas that we emit is the main requirement for achieving Net Zero targets, active removal of CO2 from the atmosphere is a key element in the IPCC’s climate projections. Marine environments can be highly efficient carbon sinks that offer the potential to support climate mitigation strategies, but greater understanding of their impacts and effective monitoring structures are required before OCDR techniques can be implemented at scale. By working with policy makers, businesses, stakeholders, and the public, this project aims to provide the information needed to enable informed decisions to be made on the future use of the oceans in this manner.”
While World Ocean Council CEO Paul Holthus added:
“Building on the long-standing WOC efforts on ocean-based carbon dioxide removal (OCDR), we will be focused on the role of the private sector including working to bring together the growing cadre of OCDR companies to facilitate advancing responsible, science-based OCDR.”
Willem van Dorp, Project Coordinator and Senior Consultant at Uniresearch, added:
“In our challenge to limit global warming, it is likely that we will need to use all the tools we have to emit less CO2, as well as to actively remove CO2 from the atmosphere. The ocean has immense potential to store carbon and thus may be an important factor in managing CO2 levels. However, we need more knowledge on which measures can be implemented, what their effects and impacts are, and how they can be measured. The SEAO2-CDR project is in an ideal position to address these issues, and to provide public information for everyone involved in exploring the safe and responsible use of our oceans for capturing CO2.”
