Haste Makes Waste: How Precaution Should Guide Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal Research and Governance

The world is not on track to meet the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement. As the urgency to address climate change intensifies, interest in techniques designed to enhance the ocean’s ability to sequester and store carbon dioxide – known as marine Carbon Dioxide Removal (mCDR) – is surging. Yet, these techniques remain shrouded in uncertainty, particularly regarding their efficacy and potential negative impacts on nature and people. In this context, the Ocean & Climate Platform, in partnership with the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, Oceans North, The Ocean Foundation, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and WWF, organised a webinar on 10 July 2026, bringing together international experts to explore the challenges, risks and opportunities associated with these techniques. It will highlight concrete recommendations to enable safe and equitable scientific research while preventing any premature deployment. This webinar built upon the Ocean & Climate Platform’s latest work on mCDR Technologies: A scientific article Three Challenges to Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal published in npj Ocean Sustainability, developed with our Scientific Committee, available here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s4418... The report, Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal Technologies: Hopes and Threats, developed over several months of work by OCP’s working group dedicated to the dissemination of scientific knowledge (DIFCO), available here: https://ocean-climate.org/en/report-m... The policy brief Navigating Hopes and Threats: How Precaution Should Guide Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal Research and Governance, developed with OCP’s advocacy working group, available here: https://ocean-climate.org/en/policy-b...