{"id":17284,"date":"2023-04-21T15:00:10","date_gmt":"2023-04-21T20:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.law.columbia.edu\/climatechange\/?p=17284"},"modified":"2023-04-21T15:33:15","modified_gmt":"2023-04-21T20:33:15","slug":"harnessing-the-oceans-power-to-combat-the-climate-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.law.columbia.edu\/climatechange\/2023\/04\/21\/harnessing-the-oceans-power-to-combat-the-climate-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"Harnessing the Ocean\u2019s Power to Combat the Climate Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo: Guss B<\/a> on Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Earth Day<\/a>\u00a0is an opportunity to celebrate the awe-inspiring wonders on this planet \u2014 a place full of biodiversity hotspots, from lush rainforests to scenic mountain ranges, home to rich, endemic species. These pristine, ecologically unique landscapes are increasingly threatened by human-caused stressors such as greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to the harmful impacts of climate change on people and the planet.<\/p>\n

Tackling the climate crisis requires a multifaceted approach. We know we must rapidly and dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including through a just transition to a renewable-energy driven economy. We must also better prepare for climate change impacts that are already occurring or expected in the future. In recent years, climate litigation has increasingly been used to push governments and others to reduce emissions and invest in adaptation measures (see the Sabin Center\u2019s climate litigation databases\u00a0here<\/a>). International agreements, such as the Paris Agreement, and\u00a0domestic legislation in the U.S<\/a>. and elsewhere, have also been important in driving change.<\/p>\n

While progress is being made, there is still a lot to do. The IPCC has said that, in addition to reducing emissions, it will likely also be necessary to draw greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere to mitigate climate change. The\u00a0Sabin Center for Climate Change Law<\/a>, a joint center of the Columbia Climate School <\/a>and the Columbia Law School<\/a>, has been exploring various ways of doing that, including through \u201c<\/strong>blue carbon<\/a>\u201d approaches. Blue carbon is\u00a0carbon captured by ocean and coastal ecosystems<\/a>. In this post, we will focus specifically on ocean-based carbon dioxide removal and sequestration, also known as \u201cocean CDR\u201d.<\/p>\n

The ocean covers 70% of the Earth\u2019s surface and is a major carbon sink. Through natural processes, the ocean has absorbed around 25% of human-produced carbon dioxide emissions to date, and could take up even more in the future. Uptake of carbon dioxide by the ocean occurs through both biological processes \u2014 e.g., via carbon sinks like phytoplankton and\u00a0whales<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 as well as non-biological ones.<\/p>\n

Ocean-based Carbon Dioxide Removal Techniques<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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An illustration of several ocean-based carbon dioxide removal techniques. Artwork: Rita Erven\/GEOMAR<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Sabin Center for Climate Change Law has published a series of four white papers exploring the legal issues associated with a range of ocean carbon dioxide removal strategies, which are outlined below. These white papers, written by Romany Webb, Korey Silverman-Roati and Michael Gerrard, provide the most comprehensive analysis of the legal aspects of ocean CDR. These same authors also published a book on\u00a0\u201cOcean Carbon Dioxide Removal for Climate Mitigation: The Legal Framework\u201d<\/a>\u00a0this week. For the purposes of this post, we will give a broad overview of these techniques, as well as the potential benefits and risks associated with them.<\/p>\n