NCEC Interview Questions

1.     Why does Ocean Visions have a program committed to marine carbon dioxide removal research also known as mCDR?

Ocean Visions is a science-based, not-for-profit conservation organization working with and across diverse sectors and disciplines to identify, co-design, evaluate, and support implementation of bold ocean-based solutions to counter and reverse climate disruptions impacting the ocean. They focus on critical arenas of needed actions, like the mCDR field, that are underinvested, and catalyse efforts to develop, test, and ultimately scale innovations to the most pressing challenges at the ocean-climate nexus.

Ocean Visions works on mCDR because the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says that we must drastically reduce emissions and we must also remove between 100 and 1000 gigatons of carbon dioxide built up in our atmosphere in this century to meet internationally recognized climate targets. Achieving CDR at the scale indicated by the IPCC requires rapidly and thoughtfully expanding responsible research across multiple pathways to determine what constitutes an effective and safe portfolio of CDR approaches.

The ocean plays a critical role in the global carbon cycle, naturally absorbing 25 to 30 percent of caarbon dioxide released to the atmosphere by human activities. Covering 70 percent of the planet’s surface, the ocean passively absorbs carbon dioxide pollution, which is further enabled by biological and chemical processes that remove dissolved carbon from surface waters. Maintaining natural ocean carbon sinks is an essential component of the climate response. Scientific research has begun to explore ways of enhancing the impact of the ocean as a carbon sink.

In short, mCDR is an umbrella of pathways that may effectively remove carbon dioxide and store it for a long period of time. This means that mCDR could become an important tool in the toolbox alongside emissions reduction to stabilize the climate and restore ocean health. Ocean Visions works on mCDR because of that incredible potential and because mCDR requires much more research and evaluation before society can decide whether or not to put it in the toolbox.

2.     What are the biggest challenges you’ve seen for the mCDR field?

Categorically, funding for research is one of the most problematic challenges, and equally challenging is capacity development for key audiences, including funders, policy makers, and coastal communities. Many mCDR pathways include novel techniques that require additional research to (1) verify that the mCDR activity actually does what it claims to do (i.e., remove carbon dioxide) and (2) assess environmental risks and benefits. Public perception, which is both a lack of awareness and understanding about the mCDR field, contributes to these challenges. Building mCDR capacity for funders or decision makers and their constituencies will help the mCDR field identify and address socially relevant questions in addition to scientific ones and build partnerships and increase opportunities for co-designed activities.

Ocean Visions is driving development of an mCDR Environmental Impact Assessment Framework or EIAF, a foundational analysis tool, to help developers, researchers, regulators, and local communities who are considering whether they can safely host an mCDR research project in their decision-making.

3.     Where is marine carbon dioxide removal research taking place?

North America has been considered a leader of mCDR research, development, and demonstration, particularly because of the breadth of stakeholders in science and policy who are driving domestic and global initiatives on mCDR and the in-field research and pilot projects performed in the United States and Canada. However, there is research happening in multiple countries around the world. One way to get a sense of who is in the mCDR field and what research is being performed and where is to explore the mCDR Ecosystem Database on the Ocean Visions website, which is a repository of actors in the mCDR field and displays how they are connected. Another good resource is the mCDR Field Trials Database also housed on the Ocean Visions website. Both resources can help to identify what is being done in the space, who in the field would be a good partner for a new initiative, and what crucial research and infrastructure needs remain.

4.   How does Ocean Visions contribute to the growing field of marine carbon dioxide removal?

Ocean Visions is a nonprofit organization, and puts efforts into projects and initiatives that will help determine whether mCDR is a viable solution in the ocean and climate portfolio in addition to emissions reduction. In addition to knowledge tools, like the databases mentioned above, we are a trusted convenor in the mCDR space. For example, we host the Ocean Visions Summit every two years which serves as an exceptional opportunity to advance the sharing of knowledge and solutions to critical challenges at the ocean-climate nexus. During the action-oriented event, global and local scientists, policymakers, innovators, funders, and others converge to explore solutions and strengthen partnerships that can help restore the ocean and stabilize the climate. The next Ocean Visions Summit will be in 2027.

 Ocean Visions manages the Global Ecosystem for Ocean Solutions (GEOS) initiative, endorsed by the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. GEOS aims to accelerate collaboration across diverse sectors and geographies, fostering a globally distributed community dedicated to delivering innovative, effective, and durable solutions to the ocean-climate crisis. At the heart of the GEOS program is the co-designed Ocean-Climate Innovation Hubs which serve as regional and local catalysts operating around the world for the exploration of potential ocean-climate solutions like mCDR.