How the ocean can help us solve our climate crisis—Putting science first

WHOI, SIO, NASEM, CWF, OV

A panel to explore the ocean's potential for carbon dioxide removal--and the need for science to proceed in a responsible, transparent way.

Pavilion of Knowledge

Every year, humans pump more than 40 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The heat from this greenhouse gas is disrupting planetary systems and reshaping life on Earth. The ocean may be able to help us reverse this trend, but we need to proceed with caution.Over the last century, the ocean has absorbed nearly one third of the excess carbon dioxide that humans have pumped into the atmosphere. It ends up dissolved into sea water, taken up by organisms, and passed through the marine ecosystem, some of which is locked away in the deep sea. Ocean conservation is just one of the approaches being considered to increase the storage of carbon in the ocean and play a leading role in reducing and perhaps even reversing the effects of human-induced climate change. This panel will explore the potential for the oceans to be part of net negative emissions strategies for responsible, durable and quantifiable Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR). The findings of the 2022 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report, “A Research Strategy for Ocean-based Carbon Dioxide Removal and Sequestration” will be used a basis for evaluating ocean CDR potential and the common challenges related to our state of the knowledge and the social and regulatory acceptability. We suggest that the science needs to move ahead in advance of commercialization. We will also present a new code of conduct for responsible research and development in ocean CDR that might be adopted widely to ensure responsible path.Moderator<ul><li>Kilaparti Ramakrishna, Senior Advisor to the President on Ocean and Climate Policy, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution</li></ul>Opening Remarks<ul><li>Peter de Menocal, President &amp; Director, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution</li></ul>Panelists<ul><li>Ken Buesseler, Senior Scientist, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution</li><li>Margaret Leinen, Director, Scripps Institution of Oceanography</li><li>Susan Lozier, President, American Geophysical Union (AGU)</li><li>Susan Gardner, Ecosystem Division Director, UNEP</li><li>Anna-Marie Laura, Director of International Government Relations, Ocean Conservancy</li><li>Kushaal Raj, Acting Head of Climate Change and International Cooperation Division and the Ocean Specialist for the Climate Change and International Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Economy, Fiji</li><li>Joanna Post, Program Officer and Coordinator of Ocean Climate Change Dialogue, UNFCCC Secretariat</li></ul>Remainder of speakers to be announced.