The U.S. can help lead on understanding the potential for ocean-based carbon dioxide removal

This briefing by the World Resources Institute argues that the United States should increase federal funding for research and at-sea testing of ocean-based carbon dioxide removal (CDR) to resolve uncertainties regarding its efficacy and environmental impacts.

• Ocean-based carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is categorized into biological ("biotic") processes, such as cultivating and sinking seaweed to sequester carbon, and chemical ("abiotic") processes, such as ocean alkalinity enhancement which uses ground-up alkaline rock to lock away carbon.
• While ocean CDR has the potential to remove billions of tons of CO2 annually, there is significant uncertainty regarding its long-term storage effectiveness and its impacts on people and the environment, necessitating more federal funding for research and testing.
• The U.S. government has taken several strategic steps toward ocean CDR, including the 2023 White House Ocean Climate Action Plan, the creation of a Fast-Track Action Committee on Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal in late 2023, and a 2023 NOAA research strategy.
• Current federal funding for ocean CDR is limited compared to land-based CDR. Recent allocations include $24 million from the National Oceanic Partnership Program in 2023 and $10 million from the Department of Energy in 2024 for biological ocean CDR research.
• Private sector and nonprofit activity is advancing ocean CDR through company development (e.g., Running Tide, Captura, Ebb Carbon, Equatic, and Vesta), corporate procurement by entities like Microsoft and Shopify, and research by nonprofits such as the Carbon to Sea Initiative.

APA

World Resources Institute (2024). The U.S. can help lead on understanding the potential for ocean-based carbon dioxide removal. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2024-11/briefing-us-ocean-based-carbon-removal.pdf

Chicago

World Resources Institute. The U.S. can help lead on understanding the potential for ocean-based carbon dioxide removal. 2024. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2024-11/briefing-us-ocean-based-carbon-removal.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=The U.S. can help lead on understanding the potential for ocean-based carbon dioxide removal |date=2024 |url=https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2024-11/briefing-us-ocean-based-carbon-removal.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2024can, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{The U.S. can help lead on understanding the potential for ocean-based carbon dioxide removal}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2024}, url = {https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2024-11/briefing-us-ocean-based-carbon-removal.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }