Marine CDR(mCDR), also called ocean CDR, is one of the popular nature-based solutions. If properly designed, a blue carbon project can protect local habitats and shorelines, improve fishery health and water quality, mitigate sea level rise, and create new job opportunities.
Although mCDR holds great potential for emission reduction and removals, several questions must be answered before implementing the project.
#1 Location and Legal Ownership
When developing coastal mCDR, clear legal ownership and approval from the governing authority are essential. Ocean maritime boundaries could be divided into legal zoning, territorial sea, exclusive economic zone, and high seas. Each zone has different regulations, and it is always wise to check the legal ownership beforehand.
#2 Limited Knowledge of Transboundary Nature
mCDR is a relatively new topic with scientific uncertainty that the carbon credit methodology can safely move from research to deployment. The net impacts of human activities in the carbon credit projects have not yet reached scientific consensus. Without careful monitoring, the geo-engineering actions may lead to unforeseeable problems in our nature.
#3 Ocean Governance with Deployment Consensus
In July 2023, the United Nations officially adopted a legally binding marine biodiversity agreement(Biodiversity Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction Treaty, BBNJ). It covers 66% of the ocean, protects marine biodiversity, reduces toxic chemicals and plastic waste, and avoids over-exploiting global fish stocks. While this is good news, the consensus to decide when/if/under what conditions to deploy mCDR in the high sea has remained unsolved.
Danny Chen
