Marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) offers a potential pathway to scale atmospheric carbon capture, but it faces significant governance challenges. Without a clear framework, these technologies risk creating new inequalities between wealthy nations and the Global South. Effective ocean governance must prioritize equity, participation, and accountability to ensure that mCDR does not harm marine ecosystems or unfairly distribute the risks and benefits of climate intervention.
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The real hurdle here is the lack of a standardized accounting framework for mCDR. If we cannot accurately measure and verify the carbon sequestered in the deep ocean, these credits will be worthless in any serious compliance market.
Exactly. Most of these proposals are high level. I want to see the specific MRV protocols they plan to use before we talk about global equity. You cannot have equity without honest data.
Curious about the energy requirements for the actual deployment of mCDR. Does the carbon cost of the ships and pumping infrastructure eat into the net removal? The energy return on investment is usually where these plans fall apart.
That is the missing detail. The article focuses on governance and equity but ignores the operational carbon footprint of the hardware needed to move that much CO2.
