As a means to address residual emissions and remove legacy carbon from the atmosphere once greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced, and in order to achieve the Paris Agreement's climate goals, Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) methods, including those focused on marine environments, are being researched and piloted. Effective and transparent implementation of all CDR, including marine CDR (mCDR), requires robust, accurate and consistent Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) frameworks for reproducible accounting of net CO2 removal from the atmosphere, its long-term storage, potential impacts on the environment, and independent verification. It also requires improved understanding of oceanic processes and the carbon cycle, including exchanges of greenhouse gases between the atmosphere and the Ocean.
The European Marine Board Future Science Brief No. 13 ‘Monitoring, Reporting and Verification for marine Carbon Dioxide Removal' presents the key challenges for MRV, the status of the observing and modelling system that will be required to underpin MRV activities, and the status of existing protocols and governance frameworks addressing mCDR. The document then highlights that at present, given the early developmental stages of mCDR methods, none have sufficiently robust, comprehensive MRV in place to enable credible large-scale implementation. It closes by presenting recommendations for policymakers and regulators, science funders, and MRV scientists, practitioners and project planners, to bridge identified knowledge gaps and establish standardised MRV protocols for mCDR before they reach large-scale deployment.
You can find the news item about the document launch here, the factsheet here (available soon), and more about the Working Group in charge of developing the document here.