Reviewing the sociotechnical dynamics of carbon removal

Given the inadequacy of current patterns of climate mitigation, calls for rapid climate protection are beginning to explore and endorse potentially radical options. Based on fieldwork involving original expert interviews (N = 23) and extensive site visits (N = 23) in Australia, this empirical study explores four types of climate interventions spanning climate differing degrees of radicalism: adaptation, solar geoengineering, forestry and ecosystems restoration, and carbon removal. It examines ongoing efforts to engage in selective breeding and assisted adaptation of coral species to be introduced on the Great Barrier Reef, as well as to implement regional solar geoengineering in the form of fogging and marine cloud brightening. It also examines related attempts at both nature-based and engineered forms of carbon removal vis-à-vis ecosystem restoration via forestry conservation and reforestation in the Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area, and enhanced weathering and ocean alkalinization. This portfolio of climate interventions challenges existing categorizations and typologies of climate action. Moreover, the study identifies positive synergies and coupling between the options themselves, but also lingering trade-offs and risks needing to be taken into account. It discusses three inductive themes which emerged from the qualitative data: complexity and coupling, risk and multi-scalar effects, and radicality and governance. It elucidates these themes with an attempt to generalize lessons learned for other communities around the world considering climate interventions to protect forests, preserve coral reefs, or implement carbon removal and solar geoengineering. 

pdf/coral-reefs-cloud-forests-and-radical-climate-interventions-2fscig9uvi.pdf

Coral reefs, cloud forests and radical climate interventions in Australia’s Wet Tropics and Great Barrier Reef

Increasingly, the removal and durable storage of atmospheric carbon dioxide is understood as necessary to meeting targets to limit climate change. While research on technologies for 'carbon removal' or 'negative emissions' is growing, little of that work has attended to the social implications of these technologies, such as how carbon removal initiatives might be formulated in ways that align with public values and principles of justice and just transitions. In this paper, we draw upon involvement in early-stage research on offshore direct air carbon capture and storage (DACCS) to reflect upon these questions. We argue that (1) carbon removal's links and associations with extractive industries must be anticipated and that issues of distrust and operational oversight be addressed; (2) employment of 'climate solutions' and 'climate urgency' narratives require care and reflexivity so as not to overwhelm other considerations; (3) despite the apparent absence of people, offshore contexts must be understood and treated as social contexts with impacts to people and communities; (4) both onshore and offshore contexts require recognition of Indigenous jurisdiction, rights and title in project planning and design; (5) discussions of a just transition for carbon removal must go beyond attention to employment to address questions of infrastructure ownership, monitoring and governance. Drawing on these reflections, we offer a set of recommendations for early-stage carbon removal projects. Together, these suggestions offer a starting place for making carbon removal research and deployment more just and aligned with broader societal priorities. 

Towards just, responsible, and socially viable carbon removal: lessons from offshore DACCS research for early-stage carbon removal projects

Ocean carbon sink is an emerging and interdisciplinary research area that plays a vital role in the global carbon cycle. This paper reviews recent scientific advancements in ocean carbon sink research, focusing on the mechanisms for capturing, utilizing, and sequestering atmospheric CO 2 , and highlights its contribution to climate change mitigation and adaptation. Using bibliometric analysis based on CiteSpace and data from the Web of Science and Scopus, we examine research hotspots and topic evolution through country collaboration, journal co-citation, and keyword co-occurrence networks. The findings show that ocean carbon sink research is shaped by complex scientific uncertainties and the integration of multiple disciplines. Current research hotspots include scientific advances, technological innovation, and governance challenges related to sustainable development. In general, recent studies emphasize the role of carbon sink, the value of nature, and the importance of precautionary management. This paper underlines the need for coordination between scientific and social dimensions of carbon sink functions, and it draws attention to the ethical aspects of carbon sink governance. It advocates for multi-stakeholder participation, precautionary governance, and policy-based financial system to support climate resilience and foster the sustainable development of the oceans. 

pdf/scientific-advances-and-future-trends-in-ocean-carbon-sink-f8wyqh8yka5f.pdf

Scientific advances and future trends in ocean carbon sink: an interdisciplinary review

Abstract Novel carbon dioxide removal (CDR) approaches are being developed to help achieve the Paris Agreement temperature targets. Beyond technological challenges, their deployment in specific locations can be shaped by local stakeholders’ perspectives. Here we use ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE), a marine-based CDR approach, to explore what stakeholders need to develop informed opinions about these technologies. We employed a bottom-up engagement approach, interviewing 23 stakeholders in Tasmania, Australia. While some participants held preliminary views, all expressed a need for more information regarding technological feasibility, environmental and community impacts, governance, and OAE’s role in climate policy. We found that stakeholders’ knowledge priorities should be addressed before social acceptance consultations. Local stakeholders are concerned with impacts beyond their immediate area. Finally, we discuss four guiding principles, accountability, sustainable resource management, transparent governance, and inclusive values and ethics, for responsible CDR innovation and deployment. 

pdf/stakeholders-have-knowledge-priorities-beyond-local-impacts-wyaksqcw9g62.pdf

Stakeholders have knowledge priorities beyond local impacts for responsible marine-based carbon dioxide removal in Tasmania

Localized governance of carbon dioxide removal in Small Island Developing States

Meeting global emissions targets is highly likely to require the removal of previously emitted greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere, and increasing attention is being paid to novel innovations for carbon dioxide removal (CDR). Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are particularly at risk from climate change impacts and are therefore important to consider for CDR efforts, both in terms of CDR potential and risks. Grassroots, inclusive frameworks are valuable to advancing our understanding of the social implications of CDR, including valid concerns around efficacy and scalability, and should constitute crucial foundations in establishing the public support to develop, trial and transition novel proposals. This position paper, a collaboration between Vesta and researchers located in the Dominican Republic and the United Kingdom, presents a simple model for integrating local ownership, inclusion, and participatory governance of CDR through a case study of the establishment of a coastal enhanced weathering project in the Dominican Republic. This paper argues that the inclusion of actors from the Global South into CDR innovation will strengthen both ethical and governance considerations. Critical discourse around whether researching CDR in a SIDS context raises novel, locally embedded, and pertinent questions about the relationship between CDR and climate change adaptation. Conducting social science research to gauge understandings of climate change and public perceptions, while opening pathways for participation in project development, provides insight into and potentially addresses these emergent inquiries. Participatory, deliberative, and localized governance approaches may influence public perception in communities subject to climate change vulnerability, and evidence of its implementation would help to inform strategies to develop more ethical CDR solutions aligned with climate justice principles. 

Localized governance of carbon dioxide removal in small island developing states

Despite an increase in literature on public perceptions of carbon dioxide removal (CDR), there remains a paucity of evidence describing the social and developmental processes involved in the implementation of projects in-situ. This research illustrates a case study documenting the experiences of planning for the establishment of a project for coastal enhanced weathering - a form of ocean alkalinity enhancement - in a remote, rural area of the Northwestern Dominican Republic, a Small Island Developing State particularly at risk from climate change impacts. In collaboration with local communities and national organizations, the company responsible for the project (Vesta) conducted field-based research to develop scientific methods to monitor the safety, efficacy, and public awareness of the technique during a field pilot, although it was ultimately determined that the local site conditions were not suitable for effective carbon removal and thus the project did not move forward. This paper, a collaboration between Vesta and researchers located in the Dominican Republic and the United Kingdom, reflects upon the multifaceted processes involved in researching and developing coastal enhanced weathering in the Dominican Republic. In it, we draw upon two years’ worth of surveys, interviews, focus groups, ethnographic field observations, group information sessions, and reflexive documentation by the Dominican Republic researchers, to present a first-hand account of an exploration into the opportunities and challenges to collaborative governance of CDR. We discuss themes of climate vulnerability, justice, and adaptive capacity through the lens of the collaborative governance and social diffusion principles that the project was designed with. Finally, we reflect on a programme of outreach and participatory activities which was established to support community development in the areas surrounding the field trial site, as informed by exploration of community needs drawn from the research. 

Opportunities and Challenges to Collaborative Governance of Carbon Dioxide Removal: Lessons From an Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement Project in Dominican Republic

Despite an increase in literature on public perceptions of carbon dioxide removal (CDR), there remains a paucity of evidence describing the social and developmental processes involved in the implementation of projects in-situ. This research illustrates a case study documenting a planned research project for coastal enhanced weathering—a form of ocean alkalinity enhancement—in a remote, rural area of the Northwestern Dominican Republic, a Small Island Developing State particularly at risk from climate change impacts. This paper is a collaboration between the company responsible for the project (Vesta) and researchers located in the Dominican Republic and the United Kingdom, We draw upon 2 years' worth of surveys, interviews, focus groups, group information sessions, and reflexive documentation by the Dominican Republic researchers, to present a first-hand account of local community responses to the planned research project and to coastal enhanced weathering and climate change more broadly. We discuss themes of climate vulnerability, justice, and adaptive capacity through the lens of the collaborative governance and social diffusion principles that the project was designed with. We also reflect on a program of outreach and participatory activities which was established to support community development in the areas surrounding the field trial site, as informed by exploration of community needs drawn from the research.

Public engagement and collaboration for carbon dioxide removal: lessons from a project in the Dominican Republic

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Localized governance of carbon dioxide removal in Small Island Developing States

Localized governance of carbon dioxide removal in small island developing states

Opportunities and Challenges to Collaborative Governance of Carbon Dioxide Removal: Lessons From an Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement Project in Dominican Republic

Public engagement and collaboration for carbon dioxide removal: lessons from a project in the Dominican Republic