In an article published at Environmental Research Letters, ‘A Holistic Assessment Framework for Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal Options’, a group of authors led by Christian Baatz introduced a new framework tailored for marine CDR (‘mCDR’) methods. In doing so, they presented new criteria for evaluating both the feasibility and desirability of mCDR methods with the purpose of contributing to the scientific discourse on how mCDR can and should be utilized to counter the climate crisis.
Key takeaways:
- Unlike the existing frameworks established to evaluate the actions that can be taken to combat climate change, the framework introduced by the authors not only lays down the features of mCDR options but also assesses them based on the criteria it relies upon. In doing so, it transparently sets out the underlying viewpoints guiding the assessment. In addition, the framework fills a gap in the literature by separating the evaluation of desirability and feasibility. Within this context, the consideration of desirability as a stand-alone set of criteria of assessment ensures the better incorporation of matters such as justice as well as societal and environmental effects into the framework.
- The assessment framework used by the authors can be characterized as holistic given that it can be implemented to both mCDR methods and specific mCDR activities at various stages and locations. Even though the framework includes some criteria that are only applicable to marine activities, the majority of the criteria is relevant for all CDR activities.
- To establish the assessment framework, the authors carried out a literature review and examined the merits and pitfalls of the criteria they obtained as a result of such review. Given that the framework can be of use for stakeholders with different backgrounds such as scholars, politicians and the broader public, the authors received feedback from such actors. The multidisciplinarity of the approach was useful for creating a dialogue between scholars and policy makers.
- The authors utilized ‘a sea of indicators’ to demonstrate that a given indicator is not relevant only for a specific criterion but can be useful for different assessments. For instance, the indicator on the presence of infrastructures is not only relevant for techno-environmental feasibility but also economic efficiency given that it can be an investment barrier or enabler.
- The feasibility assessment entails the evaluation of an agent’s ability to implement a mCDR method on the basis of techno-environmental, political and legal criteria.
- The techno-environmental feasibility assessment concerns the technical steps that need to be taken for using mCDR and the environmental barriers that may hinder its utilization. Contrary to the existing literature, in introducing such criteria, the authors have considered both technical and environmental issues given the varying relevance of technical readiness and environmental conditions for different mCDR methods. In addition, techno-environmental feasibility also takes into account the presence of infrastructure such as pipelines and resources such as employees.
- The political feasibility assessment examines the extent to which mCDR options are supported by politicians and voters. In doing so, it takes into account the role mCDR plays in the broader climate governance of a certain country or region as well as the degree of conflict between the supporters and opponents of mCDR. Lastly, the presence of transparency and accountability tools in relation to certain mCDR activities can also shape its political feasibility.
- The legal feasibility assessment analyzes whether a certain mCDR activity can receive legal authorization in a specific setting at the international, regional or national levels. Unlike the existing literature merely considering the existing legal instruments, this framework also takes into account whether the mCDR activity can still be permissible in case the legal instruments are amended. The legal feasibility assessment tackles five subject matters, environmental risk management, compliance with legal procedure, permissibility of substances and processes, threshold of the environmental impact (i.e. ban against significant transboundary harm) and effects on economic and cultural rights.
- The desirability assessment relates to effectiveness, economic efficiency, justice and environmental ethics.
- The effectiveness dimension evaluates the potential of mCDR to counter climate change in terms of CDR potential, permanence, monitoring, reporting and verification efforts, indirect climate effects and termination risk.
- The assessment in relation to economic efficiency considers the benefits and costs of mCDR activities including status costs that emerge during a certain period, dynamic costs marked by the future changes with costs, transaction costs, investment barriers and enablers as well as external impacts.
- The justice dimension takes into account the distribution of costs and benefits, transparency, participation in decision-making, liability and dispute resolution rules.
- The environmental ethics assessment analyzes the impact of mCDR on the interests of non-humans such as animals, biodiversity and ecosystems.
Read the full paper here: Radware Bot Manager Captcha