In the escalating fight against climate change, a growing industry is turning to an unconventional ally: the ocean. Companies and academic groups propose sinking rocks, nutrients, crop waste, or seaweed into the sea could lock away planet-warming carbon dioxide for centuries or longer. Nearly 50 field trials have occurred in the past four years, with startups raising hundreds of millions in early funding.
However, the field remains contentious, with debates over the consequences for the oceans and the actual benefits for the climate. Most climate models indicate that simply reducing emissions will not be enough to curb global warming. The world must also remove heat-trapping gases from the atmosphere.
While strategies on land, such as carbon capture and storage, reforestation, and underground carbon storage sites, have been explored, they are often limited by space and may impact surrounding communities. With its vast surface area, the ocean offers a seemingly limitless resource. Adam Subhas, who leads an ocean carbon project at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, asks, “Is that huge surface area an option to help us deal with and mitigate the worst effects of climate change?”
Many ocean-based climate solutions aim to reduce or transform the carbon dioxide stored in ocean water.
Will Burt, chief ocean scientist at Planetary Technologies, compares the ocean to a vacuum that could absorb more gases from the air if carbon dioxide is removed or transformed.
Ocean-based carbon strategies debated
Planetary Technologies uses magnesium oxide to convert carbon dioxide in seawater into stable molecules that remain non-reactive for thousands of years.
Other companies focus on cultivating seaweed and algae, which absorb carbon dioxide from the ocean. At the same time, some view the deep ocean as a storage site for organic material that would otherwise emit greenhouse gases if left on land. Most ocean-based startups finance their initiatives by selling carbon credits, representing one metric ton of carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere. Despite the growth in the sale of marine carbon credits, the amount of carbon removal achieved is still a tiny fraction of what scientists estimate is necessary to keep the planet livable.
Coastal communities often exhibit caution regarding these projects. In North Carolina, a proposal to deposit shiploads of olivine near the town of Duck faced enough questioning to scale down the project significantly. Fishing communities have also opposed other projects.
Sara Nawaz, research director at American University’s Institute for Responsible Carbon Removal, emphasizes that community acceptance and the development of stringent regulatory frameworks are crucial for the future success and deployment of these ocean-based carbon capture strategies. The balance between innovation and caution remains critical as the industry develops to ensure environmental effectiveness and community support. The debate over ocean dumping as a climate solution highlights the broader challenge of addressing climate change while understanding the potential environmental impacts.
Image Credits: Photo by Christoffer Engström on Unsplash
April Isaacs is a news contributor for DevX.com She is long-term, self-proclaimed nerd. She loves all things tech and computers and still has her first Dreamcast system. It is lovingly named Joni, after Joni Mitchell.
