A US Federal Policy Roadmap

Scaling CDR in the Ocean: A US Federal Policy Roadmap is an actionable blueprint for policymakers to bring the benefits of marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) to America’s doorsteps.

Scientists agree that we need to get CDR to gigaton scale by mid-century to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, but we cannot advance climate solutions without a federal policy foundation that supports this growth. The roadmap outlines pragmatic, big ideas to lay the foundation for the next wave of mCDR policy — helping us meet our interim goal of 30 megatons by 2030 in the US across all CDR pathways.

We’re not waiting. We’re laying out the policy architecture for responsible, science-backed, community-led mCDR.

Amanda VieillardDirector of Ocean Policy

mCDR is a promising climate solution

Marine carbon dioxide removal, or mCDR, encompasses a range of technologies and nature-based approaches — such as ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE), direct ocean capture (DOC), and ocean fertilization (OF) — that work with the ocean’s natural processes to pull more carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. mCDR holds great promise as a climate solution able to provide safe, scalable, and effective carbon removal, with estimates indicating it can fill approximately one-third of total CDR needs.

However, in order to reach its potential, this emerging field requires heavy investments in research and development, a better understanding of its environmental and economic benefits and impacts at scale, broader public support, and improved governance and regulatory clarity.

Policy actions today for mCDR success tomorrow

That’s where this roadmap comes in. We detailed a curated selection of original Carbon180 recommendations guided by our work with communities and identified the most impactful policy solutions to grow a robust and responsible mCDR field.

This roadmap outlines key federal policy recommendations to address five enabling conditions that mCDR needs to scale responsibly: 

• Understanding Environmental Impact
• Confirming Efficacy & Durability
• Building Social License
• Establishing Scaling & Deployment
• Enabling Responsible Commercialization 

Each section highlights a priority recommendation with the greatest potential impact, alongside additional actions to strengthen the mCDR field in the US.

mCDR Policy Recommendation Wheel

To move the needle on mCDR, Congress and the Administration can choose from our selection to meet mCDR’s most pressing needs. Our policy wheel shows, at a glance, how our recommendations work across more than one enabling condition.