The need for Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR)
In addition to rapid, deep emissions reductions, the active removal of CO2 from the atmosphere (known as carbon dioxide removal or CDR) is now considered essential if we are to keep global warming less than 2˚ above pre-industrial levels. Marine (m)CDR approaches seek to leverage the ocean’s ability to safely store more carbon by enhancing or replicating the natural biological and chemical processes that enable seawater to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere.
However, at present, large gaps remain in our understanding of proposed mCDR techniques, and many other challenges need to be overcome before they can be applied at the scale required to combat the effects of climate change.
Strategies for the Evaluation and Assessment Of Ocean-based Carbon Dioxide Removal (SEAO2-CDR)
The Horizon Europe-funded Strategies for the Evaluation and Assessment of Ocean-based Carbon Dioxide Removal (SEAO2-CDR) project is enhancing our understanding of the potential to use mCDR approaches to help mitigate the effects of climate change by establishing the mechanisms and frameworks required to evaluate mCDR techniques prior to implementation. Common assessment processes, governance structures and technologies are being used to explore system-level interactions between different approaches to deliver the insights, tools and guidelines required for the safe and effective implementation of mCDR if/where appropriate.
These advancements are enabling SEAO2-CDR to help establish the extent to which mCDR techniques can support climate change mitigation and adaptation in an environmentally safe, socially acceptable and economically viable manner, and hence aid the transition to a sustainable and climate-neutral society.
