Sociotechnical Considerations about Ocean Carbon Dioxide Removal

Sarah R. Cooley, Sonja Klinsky, David R. Morrow, Terre Satterfield

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

13 Scopus citations

Abstract

Ocean carbon dioxide removal (OCDR) is rapidly attracting interest, as climate change is putting ecosystems at risk and endangering human communities globally. Due to the centrality of the ocean in the global carbon cycle, augmenting the carbon sequestration capacity of the ocean could be a powerful mechanism for the removal of legacy excess emissions. However, OCDR requires careful assessment due to the unique biophysical characteristics of the ocean and its centrality in the Earth system and many social systems. Using a sociotechnical system lens, this review identifies the sets of considerations that need to be included within robust assessments for OCDR decision-making. Specifically, it lays out the state of technical assessments of OCDR approaches along with key financial concerns, social issues (including public perceptions), and the underlying ethical debates and concerns that would need to be addressed if OCDR were to be deployed as a carbon dioxide removal strategy.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)41-66
Number of pages26
JournalAnnual Review of Marine Science
Volume15
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 16 2023

Keywords

  • Ocean
  • carbon dioxide removal
  • climate finance
  • environmental ethics
  • public perception

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Oceanography

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