Australia releases ocean carbon model amid marine CDR governance concerns

Australian researchers have released a new ocean carbon cycle model designed to expand the nation’s sovereign capability in marine carbon dioxide removal (CDR). The model aims to help local governments and businesses identify deployment opportunities for marine carbon removal as nations work toward climate targets.

Concurrently, a report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine highlights significant challenges facing the marine CDR sector. While the technology shows promise for supplementing greenhouse gas emission reductions, the report identifies critical governance gaps, measurement uncertainties, and verification issues. Specifically, the National Academies noted that existing international agreements and national environmental laws may not sufficiently address ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE).

The report emphasizes that the scalability of marine CDR depends on more than technological performance; it requires robust regulatory frameworks at local, national, and global levels, as well as a better understanding of long-term ecosystem-scale environmental impacts.