The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Biden-Harris administration have released a new strategy for advancing the research and development of marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR).
The National Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal Research Strategy will serve to navigate safe and effective mCDR research, analyzing the risks, benefits and compromises related to this decarbonization approach.
Marine carbon dioxide removal refers to an array of different technologies that leverage the ocean’s natural carbon-absorbing capacity to remove CO2 emissions from the atmosphere.
While holding great climate-restoring potential, this fairly nascent method for retiring excess carbon dioxide is still in need of further research to determine its exact effect on the environment and the possible risks it might pose.
The newly released strategy by the NOAA and the Biden-Harris cabinet offers the crucial foundation needed to advance research in the field of mCDR with greater caution and consideration, evaluating the viability of the different technologies active in this sector.
The team behind the strategy covered both biological and non-biological mCDR approaches, including macroalgal cultivation, ocean alkalinity enhancement, direct ocean removal, biological carbon pump enhancement (ocean fertilization and artificial upwelling and downwelling), and coastal blue carbon.
As one of the key takeaways, this strategy highlights the federal government’s role in strengthening interdisciplinary research to better understand the effectiveness of marine carbon dioxide removal, along with its impact on the ecosystems and the environment, and developing measuring systems to track these variables.
Relevant: NOAA And DOE Unite To Speed Up Marine Carbon Removal R&D
This development is expected to bring along opportunities for publicly and privately funded researchers, assigning important research roles to tribal, state, territorial, and local governments.
Rick Spinrad, Ph.D., who serves as an administrator at NOAA, stated, “This strategy reflects the importance of collaborative efforts across multiple sectors, including government, industry, and academia, to unlock the potential of mCDR and supplement critical efforts to reduce emissions.”
NOAA Research Assistant Administrator and NOAA acting Chief Scientist Steven Thur, Ph.D., commented, “This work could foster a future where climate change impacts are reduced and our ecosystems are resilient.”
Read more: New Research Highlights The Key Role Of Tiny Marine Animals For Ocean-Based CO2 Removal
