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PERSPECTIVE article

Front. Clim.
Sec. Carbon Dioxide Removal
Volume 6 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fclim.2024.1497476

The potential of the BBNJ clearing house mechanism to enhance knowledge pluralism in marine carbon dioxide removal assessment

Provisionally accepted
Miranda Boettcher Miranda Boettcher 1,2*Kerryn Brent Kerryn Brent 3
  • 1 German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), Berlin, Germany
  • 2 Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands, Netherlands
  • 3 Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    As the global community intensifies efforts to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, active carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is being planned alongside emission reductions. The open ocean, which already absorbs a substantial portion of anthropogenic carbon dioxide, is increasingly seen as a promising site for various types of marine CDR (mCDR). All of these approaches are in the preliminary stages of development, and many questions remain with regard to their assessment and governance. This paper discusses the potential role of the newly established Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement) in assessing and governing mCDR. A step-by-step mapping of the various stages of the BBNJ environmental impact assessment process shows that the new Clearing House Mechanism (CHM) could facilitate knowledge pluralism and contribute to the holistic assessment of mCDR proposals. The paper concludes by identifying challenges in operationalizing the CHM and putting forwards recommendations to strengthen its capacity for fostering knowledge pluralism in decision-making on mCDR research and implementation.

    Keywords: Ocean governance, Carbon dioxide removal, Environmental impact assessment, Clearing House Mechanism, Biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction, law of the sea 1. Introduction

    Received: 17 Sep 2024; Accepted: 04 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Boettcher and Brent. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Miranda Boettcher, German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), Berlin, Germany

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