This episode of Plan Sea was recorded live at the Ocean Visions Biennial Summit 2025 in Vancouver, Canada. Host Anna Madlener is joined by a special co-host, Danny Gawlowski, Carbon to Sea’s Senior Manager of Communications and Policy, for a series of conversations with attendees on their work in ocean-based carbon dioxide removal (oCDR). Guests on this episode include: 

First, Ocean Visions CEO Brad Ack joins the podcast to discuss Ocean Visions’ work and his goals for the fourth edition of the summit: to bring attention to climate change’s unparalleled impact on the ocean, to provide a space for oCDR community building, and ultimately, to advance the field. 

Marc von Keitz, Director at The Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, then joins Anna and Danny to discuss his participation on the panel “The State of mCDR – Where are we on the road to actionable information?” Marc spoke about the financial resources available for oCDR researchers, and emphasized the need to examine projects with the lens of an uncertain future for government funding and support in the coming years. 

Mariam Swaleh, Team Lead at Ocean-Climate Innovation Hub Kenya and OCI Fellow at Ocean Visions’ Global Ecosystem of Ocean Solutions, joins to discuss her participation on the panel “Ocean-Climate Innovation Hubs: Building Partnerships for Restorable and Equitable Solution.” Mariam contextualized the growing oCDR collective in Africa, including the development of a roadmap for African countries to engage in sustainable oCDR development. 

Lily Schacht, Senior Carbon Removal Verification Engineer at 350Solutions, participated in the “Moving the Needle on MRV: Insights and Learnings from Data Standard Development, First Verifications, and a Look to Other Industries” panel. Lily illuminated the role of validation and verification in oCDR crediting, insights from first-of-their-kind verifications in the field, and emerging opportunities for crediting in the future.

Lastly, Meg Chadsey, Carbon Specialist at Washington Sea Grant, spoke to the importance of community engagement throughout oCDR development, given the intimate cultural and economic relationship many coastal communities have with the ocean. Building on the panel “Working with Communities at the Ocean-Climate Nexus,” Meg spoke about Ebb Carbon’s work in Washington state as one example of developing trust by prioritizing transparency and community understanding through site visits and ongoing conversations. 

To learn more about the panelists and conversations at the Ocean Visions Biennial Summit 2025, listen to the full episode above, subscribe with your favorite podcast service, or find the entire series here. Stay tuned for Part II of Plan Sea’s coverage of the Ocean Vision Biennial Summit. 

Plan Sea is a semi-weekly podcast exploring ocean-based climate solutions, brought to you by the Carbon to Sea Initiative & the American University Institute for Responsible Carbon Removal.