Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction and Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal

The IPCC and other scientific bodies have emphasized that achieving the temperature objectives of the Paris Agreement now requires large-scale carbon dioxide removal to complement efforts to decarbonize the global economy. Among the options being assessed are marine-based approaches (often referred to as marine carbon dioxide removal or mCDR), including ocean iron fertilization, ocean alkalinity enhancement, direct ocean capture, and ocean biomass sinking. All these approaches could remove substantial amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere but could also pose risks to marine environments, including the open ocean. This underscores the need for effective international governance. However, governance of mCDR is currently fragmented and arguably not fit for purpose, including the protection of the interests of developing countries. This roundtable will discuss the potential role of the new Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction treaty in establishing an effective and just regulatory framework for mCDR research and potential deployment. It will outline key provisions of the BBNJ that may be pertinent to mCDR and discuss potential legal barriers to developing this governance architecture in the future.

**Please note: Registration is required . Upon arrival, attendees should be prepared to present ID at the front desk. From here, you'll be directed to the meeting room.

The event will also be livestreamed on Zoom for virtual participants. Please check your reminder emails directly before the event to receive the Zoom link.

Moderator:

Priyanka Hoogan, Senior Manager, Carbon to Sea Initiative

Panelists:

Wil Burns, Co-Director, Institute for Responsible Carbon Removal & Professor, School of International Service, American University

Cymie Payne, Professor, Department of Human Ecology & the School of Law, Rutgers University

Romany Webb, Deputy Director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, Columbia University, including corrected time and location, to follow.

Co-hosts:

Institute for Responsible Carbon Removal

Carbon to Sea Initiative