This June 2026, the Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP) Working Group (WG) 41 on ‘Ocean Interventions for Climate Change Mitigation’ met at the University of Copenhagen in Elsinore, Denmark, to review a draft ‘Ocean Interventions Assessment Framework’ (OIAF) that was developed by the group to assess all types of projects and initiatives addressing ocean interventions such as marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR). The OIAF will be made available for use by project developers, agencies, governments, and by the Parties to the London Convention and London Protocol (LC/LP). Next steps in the finalization process include reviews by GESAMP and its sponsoring agencies, stakeholders/experts and the LC/LP Scientific Group. Work is expected to be completed mid-2027.
GESAMP WG 41 also addressed the status of recent developments in all aspects of ocean interventions from science to social acceptance to be able to advise the LC/LP Secretariat at the International Maritime Organization (IMO), as well as the group’s sponsoring agencies, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
In response to a comment in the IOC “Integrated Ocean Carbon Research – A vision primed for implementation” report, the WG discussed the update of the 2019 GESAMP report on mCDR, which provides a systematic, policy-relevant review of the effectiveness and feasibility of mCDR methods. The recent Scientific Summary for Policymakers released by GESAMP in 2025 provides a first overview in this respect, but a more thorough update on new approaches that have emerged since the 2019 report – e.g., direct ocean capture/removal, river-based ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE), acid downwelling, and sinking biomass into anoxic basins – and an update on new insights on trade-offs and interactions between ocean oxygen levels and various mCDR approaches will be prepared to put rigor into the debate.
Finally, the Working Group discussed the role of the private sector in the development of mCDR and a need was identified to scope best practices for establishing robust and accountable relationships between the research community, agencies and the private sector.
READ MORE: https://www.ioc.unesco.org/en/articles/advancing-ocean-climate-solutions
