Running Tide – the global ocean carbon removal company, is making progress towards building confidence in new carbon removal solutions. The company announced on April 19th its initial Framework Protocol for open ocean carbon removal.
It represents a high-level framework developed by the company and intended for use in the Voluntary Carbon Market that provides guidance for the quantification of the net carbon removed using a multi-pathway carbon removal system.
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It describes the combined chemical and biological interventions of three naturally occurring carbon removal pathways: terrestrial biomass growth and sinking, ocean biomass growth and sinking, and ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE).
The goal of this document is to provide maximum transparency into the system that combines these carbon removal pathways, the approach to accurately quantifying the carbon that is removed through them, and the foundational science of these pathways used to transfer carbon from the fast to the slow cycle.
It is not intended to detail the exact processes a carbon removal intervention in the ocean must follow, but rather it wants to provide a framework to ensure that the correct components of quantification are effectively considered.
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According to Running Tide, such framework is critical in helping to set a high standard for responsible action in the ocean that will enable ocean carbon removal to be safely scaled. The company has been working on the protocol for many years and has collected and integrated feedback from leading experts across more than 25 carbon removal, oceanographic, environmental, and climate organizations.
Running Tide also states that the absence of established governance structures and effective regulatory framework to provide guardrails for those working in this space should not be hindering progress and the fast climate action the world needs to limit global warming to below 1.5°C.
