Carbon to Sea is proud to join leading environmental and research organizations in urging Congress to support federal legislation and funding to evaluate and advance effective and safe ocean-based strategies to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. A well-funded and regulated space for the study of ocean-based carbon removal is an important complement to reducing emissions to address the climate challenge.

Axios reported on the effort this week in the Generate newsletter on energy on climate news, highlighting that “prominent marine scientists and environmentalists are pressing House and Senate leaders to boost R&D funding for ocean-based carbon removal methods.”

Read our full letter of support below or download a PDF here.

August 20, 2024

Dear: Speaker Johnson, Minority Leader Jeffries, Majority Leader Schumer, and Minority Leader McConnell:

We write in support of legislation and funding for research and development to evaluate the efficacy and impacts of marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) approaches, and to determine whether these approaches can provide safe and permanent atmospheric CO2 removal which must occur alongside needed emissions reductions. 

Scientists around the world support research to evaluate whether and which mCDR approaches can safely and permanently reduce atmospheric CO2 while minimizing risks and equitably distributing benefits to those disproportionately impacted, such as Tribal and Indigenous groups and fishing communities. Philanthropy and the private sector are bringing important resources to this effort, but the government has a critical role to play. To conduct the needed research, testing, and community engagement to ensure that technologies are safe, effective, and properly regulated,  congressional authorization and appropriations are required. Federal funding will help ensure transparency and provide vital support for innovation, knowledge development, and community engagement while at the same time providing new opportunities for public-private partnerships.

mCDR technologies that are proven safe, equitable, and effective have the potential to play a vital role in the broader effort to address the global climate challenge and represent a major economic opportunity. McKinsey and Company predicts that the CDR market could be worth up to $1.2 trillion by 2050. Legislation, regulation, and strategic research funding will benefit U.S. jobs and investments, resulting in a strong and sustainable domestic industry, and strengthen the U.S. as a global leader in developing and exporting technologies to address the climate challenge. 

According to a 2022 report by National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM), funding for mCDR RD&D needs to rise to about $300 million annually, for a ten-year investment of $2.41 billion. This level of investment is necessary to ensure that mCDR technologies can be evaluated at scale, while prioritizing safety and effectiveness. Similarly, a 2020 analysis by the Energy Futures Initiative (EFI) recommends a similar investment of $1 billion in federal funding over five years and $2.1 billion over ten years to advance mCDR. This level of federal research investment is required prior to consideration of any initiative to pursue mCDR at large scales and will provide critical data and insight to guide legislative and regulatory frameworks.

We urge Congress to support legislation and appropriations to evaluate and advance effective and safe strategies to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. We must address the climate challenge through emissions reductions, preservation and restoration of ecosystems’ natural carbon cycling capacity and by exploring equity-focused and innovative CDR approaches, including those leveraging the ocean’s natural capacity to sequester carbon dioxide. 

Sincerely,

American University, Institute for Responsible Carbon Removal
California Ocean Science Trust
Carbon to Sea Initiative
Environmental Defense Fund
Ocean Defense Initiative
Ocean Visions
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution