The Ocean Studies Board at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is setting out to establish a first-of-its-kind standing committee on marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR).
The Carbon to Sea Initiative, a non-profit focused on examining the ocean’s role in carbon management efforts, has provided the initial grant, which will support the creation of the new standing committee.
Slated to launch in March 2025, this new committee will work on regularly reviewing and updating a report released by the National Academies back in 2022, called A Research Strategy for Ocean Carbon Dioxide Removal and Sequestration.
This work delved into the topic of ocean-based approaches for carbon removal and sequestration, exploring pathways for researching and developing promising solutions from this sector.
Building on this effort, the newly appointed standing committee will make sure the report is relevant and still serves as a valuable resource for mCDR stakeholders, creating an online digital version of it that can be revised and published with peer-reviewed updates.
This will include enriching the report with information from an annual or semi-annual “state of science, technology, and research” update, which will provide a clearer, up-to-date picture of the dynamic mCDR landscape.
The updates will also add the essential understanding and specific development needs of any marine CDR method, along with the non-method-specific requirements for mCDR, such as challenges with legal guidelines and regulations, social and environmental justice considerations, and monitoring, reporting, and verification.
Relevant: Ebb Carbon Secures Historic First NPDES Permit For Its Macoma mCDR Project
The standing committee will also boost the report with additional topics that might not be fully covered in the original version, like the environmental impacts of mCDR on deep-sea ecosystems, evaluations of new or co-located approaches, or ad hoc peer review of projects or reports done outside the National Academies.
Carbon to Sea Executive Director Antonius Gagern commented on the support for the standing committee by saying, “We’re excited to see what new partnerships, community and policymaker engagements, and scientific advancements the standing committee will make possible.”
Read more: Gigablue Signs The Largest mCDR Deal To Date With SkiesFifty
