Ocean-Based Carbon Dioxide Removal

Dr. Shaun Fitzgerald, Brad Ack, Natalie Hilmi, and Ulfath Ibrahim join Paul Beckwith and Regina Valdez for this COP27 Press Conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, to discuss the topic of “Ocean-Based Carbon Dioxide Removal.”

This video was recorded on November 16th, 2022, and published on December 30th, 2022.

Some of the topics discussed:

• The Centre for Climate Repair at the University of Cambridge (CCRC), which started around two years ago with the purpose of looking at how to tackle climate change in an active way, is introduced. Its strategy is based on the three R’s being Reduce, Remove and Refreeze.
• The conversation focuses on the role of oceans for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as a key means of restoring the climate.
• The role of kelp not just in coastal waters but also considering its cultivation in the deep ocean.
• The need for research in terms of modeling as well as experiments to confirm predictions from modeling.
• The need for marine biomass restoration as a means of regenerating oceans and the role that whales play in this process.
• The organization called Ocean Visions is introduced, which is a collaborative partnership of research and scientific institutions with practitioners and marine managers that looks for solutions to critical problems facing the oceans.
• How the ocean naturally recycles carbon pollution over long time frames such as 100,000, 200,000 years and how CCRC and Ocean Visions are looking at ways to accelerate, enhance and mimic ocean pathways for carbon removal.
• A full bathtub analogy is used to describe the excess carbon that has been added to the oceans and atmosphere and the need to drain this carbon. The means of doing this through nature and consequent need to apply an economic value to the service that nature provides in this role.
• The situation in the Maldives, a nation formed by an archipelago of islands off the Southwest coast of India, and its extreme vulnerability to climate change, is discussed along with the ocean-based strategies it is using to do its part in mitigating and adapting.
• How the paradigm of climate restoration is speculated to eventually take a more prominent consideration in future COP negotiations.
• How Direct Ocean Capture (DOC) provides a more advantageous leverage point for carbon removal as compared to Direct Air Capture (DAC).
• and more. . .

Links:

• Centre for Climate Repair at Cambridge

• What is Blue Carbon?

• Ocean-based Carbon Dioxide Removal: Roadmaps

• Nathalie Hilmi: “Climate change impacts all of humanity”

• Maldives: Towards a Sustainable Net-Zero Future

Special Guest:

• Dr. Shaun Fitzgerald - Executive Director of the Centre for Climate Repair at Cambridge (CCRC). Shaun is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering who works at the interface of academic research, business, government policy and public engagement.

• Brad Ack - Executive Director and Chief Innovation Officer for Ocean Visions, a partnership of leading research and academic institutions and innovators, investors and practitioners of ocean restoration. Ocean Visions and the Ocean Climate Alliance are working to build momentum for a new ocean-climate restoration and solutions agenda.

• Natalie Hilmi - Assessment of the socio-economic impacts of climate change and ocean acidification. Assessment of ecosystems such as coral reefs. Macroeconomics, economic policies and sustainable development. Organization of an international workshop on the economic impact of ocean acidification.

• Ulfath Ibrahim - Assistant Director at the Special Envoy Office for Climate Change of the Maldives who is a Blue Carbon Researcher, a Chevening Scholar, and an Australia Awards Scholar.

Regular Panelists:

• Paul Beckwith - Climate Systems Scientist. Professor at the University of Ottawa’s Paleoclimatology Laboratory as well as at Carleton University

• Regina Valdez - Program Director, Climate Reality Project, NYC. GreenFaith Fellow and LEED Green Associate

Video Production:

• Charles Gregoire - Climate Reality Leader, Electrical Engineer, Webmaster and IT prime for FacingFuture.Earth and the Climate Emergency Forum

• Heidi Brault - Climate Reality Leader, BA(Psychology), Library & Information Technician Diploma - Video production and website assistant - Organizer and convener, Metadata technician, COP27 Team Lead for FacingFuture.Earth and the Climate Emergency Forum.

Attributions:

Background Music:

• Title: Through the City II
• Author: Crowander
• Source: Free Music Archive
• License: BY-NC 4.0

Image and Video:

• Image and Video Attributions