SEAO2-CDR

The World Ocean Council (WOC) was honored to participate in COP29 Azerbaijan held in Baku this month. Over 55,000 participants came together to exchange ideas, forge solutions, and build partnerships to advance climate action. This year’s event brought key developments and impactful discussions, which are summarized below: Highlights and Key Takeaways Climate Finance Agreement: $300 Billion Annual Funding Developed nations committed to providing $300 billion annually by 2035 to support developing countries in transitioning from fossil fuels, enhancing climate resilience, and addressing loss and damage caused by extreme weather events. This surpasses the $100 billion annual target set in 2009. Global Carbon Markets: Article 6 Finalization The operationalization of Article 6 established rules for global carbon trading, enabling countries and companies to trade carbon credits for emission reductions. This framework aims to lower costs and accelerate climate plan implementation. Shipping Value Chain – Call to Action Over 50 leaders in the global shipping value chain signed a Call to Action urging the adoption of zero-emission fuels. Spearheaded by RMI, the UCL Energy Institute, and the United Nations Foundation, this initiative aligns with the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) goal of net-zero emissions in maritime by 2050. Regulatory frameworks for global fuel standards and greenhouse gas pricing mechanisms are expected at the Marine Environment Protection Committee's 2025 meeting. Ocean-Based Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal (mCDR) The WOC spotlighted marine carbon dioxide removal at COP29. Jill Storey, WOC’s mCDR Advisor, participated in four panels, emphasizing the ocean’s critical role in achieving the IPCC’s target of removing 10Gt of carbon dioxide annually by 2050. Key points included: - The urgency to fund scientific research for all mCDR pathways - The importance of educating future generations and engaging societal stakeholders. Gratitude and Partnerships We extend our congratulations to the United Nations and Azerbaijan for hosting a successful and complex COP29. Our heartfelt thanks go to the following organizations for their collaboration and sponsorship: Panel Discussion Partners: The Climate Foundation, Centre for Climate Repair, Ocean Visions, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, The Climate Emergency Forum Exploring Ocean Iron Solutions - ExOIS (ExOIS) Ocean Pavilion Sponsors: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego Together, these partnerships and discussions continue to advance the role of the ocean in global climate solutions. #ocean #marine #shipping #mCDR

SEAO2-CDR member Mona Delval (Leiden University) will be presenting at the online conference International Industrial Ecology Day 2024 on the 21st of November. Mona will be focusing on her work titled "Life cycle assessment of ocean-based carbon dioxide removal (OCDR) approaches: A systematic literature review". She will present her findings on current LCA practice for OCDR approaches, existing limitations of the LCA methodology in assessing impacts occurring in marine environments, and recommendations for future LCA's. The conference is organised by the International Society for Industrial Ecology - ISIE and is free of charge. Registration to the session is available here: https://lnkd.in/eGvJkaHa #LCA #CDR #mCDR #ClimateChange #NetZero

Thank you to Heidi Brault of the Climate Emergency Forum and Shaun Fitzgerald for the invite to join a Press Panel during the first week of #COP29 to discuss, “Climate repair and the need for urgent research in Greenhouse Gas Removal and Climate Engineering”.   The panel discussed an array of climate solutions where immense effort is urgently required to advance the science so that we learn more about the impact of some of the climate tools that it is increasingly likely we will require.   During the discussion:   Shaun Fitzgerald from the Centre for Climate Repair covered whether solutions such as Marine Cloud Brightening could potentially provide a means of safeguarding our climate whilst we work to reduce greenhouse gas levels.   Leonardo Valenzuela Pérez, PhD talked about how  Ocean Visions is setting out the first-ever assessment of pathways to slow Arctic sea ice.   I had the opportunity on behalf of the World Ocean Council to set out the crucial role that #ocean-based carbon dioxide removal pathways are likely to play in meeting the 10 Gigatonnes of CO2 removals per annum by 2050 the #IPCC have estimated we will need to remove.   As part of the development of #climate #solutions education and raising awareness is crucial and we were lucky enough to be joined by Paul Beckwith – who is a climate systems scientist educator with over 1,200 climate videos on his Youtube channel and to have the author and planetarian Herb Simmens, who is member of the Board of Directors of the Climate Emergency Forum and author of Climate Vocabulary for the Future, as our moderator.   The scale of removals required is significant.  It is important that we build the ecosystem at the same time as we advance the science to ensure that the removals solutions are available when we need them. As part of the assessment for marine solutions the EU have funded a 4 year project, The Strategies for the Evaluation and Assessment of Ocean-based Carbon Dioxide Removal (SEAO2-CDR) with 13 universities and research institutions across Europe alongside the World Ocean Council as their commercial partner. #mCDR #CDR #COP29_AZ Thank you to Charles Gregoire for the photo and his encouragement.

Speaking at COP29 event on 15 Nov 2024 hosted by Prof Phoebe Koundouri and organised by AE4RIA and SDSN Global Climate Hub, with fellow panellists: María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defense of Ecuador; Former President of the UN General Assembly; Executive Director, GWL Voices for Change and Inclusion Hyginus 'Gene' Leon, Executive Director, Development Bank for Resilient Prosperity Conrad Landis, Postdoctoral Researcher, RESEES Lab, Athens University of Economics and Business; Head of Sustainability Finance, SDSN Global Climate Hub Ebun Akinsete, Senior Researcher, Sustainable Development Unit, Athena Research and Innovation Center; Head of Unit, UN SDSN Global Climate Hub The session discussed the significant mismatch between traditional financing sources and the needs of projects focused on green technology, mitigation, and adaptation. We also raised the importance of the combination of Development finance and Climate finance and how Education can be a significant source of equity. And also the role of those in the front line of the effects of climate change in discussions as to how we map out a path for climate repair for all.

Great to see members of the SEAO2-CDR project Jill Storey (World Ocean Council) and Shaun Fitzgerald (Centre for Climate Repair) participating in key discussions at #COP29. Assessing the potential of #ocean-based carbon dioxide removal to combat climate change will require the combined action of industry, researchers, and decision makers. #CDR #mCDR #ClimateChange #NetZero

It was great to present my research and connect with so many knowledgeable people at the the 3rd International Conference on Negative CO₂ Emissions in Oxford. My work as part of the SEAO2-CDR project aims to drive research and industry closer together via cost analysis. I'm looking to further connect with all companies operating in this space. #NegativeCO2Conference #CDR #mCDR #ClimateChange #NetZero

An exciting few days at the 3rd International Conference on Negative CO₂ Emissions in Oxford.  Representatives of SEAO2-CDR project attend and showcase their work on Ocean CDR! Dr. Christine Merk, Andreas Oschlies, Callum Ward #NegativeCO2Conference #CDR #mCDR #ClimateChange #NetZero

New webinar discussing the potential role of the ocean in tackling climate change! Sign up to hear from two members of our consortia - Andreas Oschilies and Christine Merk - sharing their perspectives on ocean-based solutions and marine Carbon Dioxide Removal (mCDR) in this online event being held tomorrow 13th June from 15:00-16:30 CEST. Details and registration link below 👇