Before marine carbon removal scales up, build the science and guardrails to govern it

Alaska Beacon (Commentary) | November 19, 2025

By Ken Buesseler, Wil Burns, Brad Warren & Emilly Seelen

The recent Alaska Beacon op-ed, “Alaska’s coastal communities deserve a say in geoengineering of our oceans,” offers exactly the kind of leadership and perspective the world needs right now. Alaska’s coastal and Indigenous communities are reminding us that the ocean is not an inexhaustible resource—it’s home. 

Alaska sits squarely on the front lines of a changing ocean, where declining Arctic sea ice, increasingly frequent harmful algal blooms, and the devastation of storms like Typhoon Halong show how rapidly life defined by the sea is being reshaped. With their wealth of local knowledge, coastal Alaskan communities can offer valuable insights as to whether a method of marine carbon dioxide removal, or mCDR, which leverages natural ocean processes to remove a key greenhouse gas from the atmosphere, is feasible or futile. 

The scientific rationale for exploration of mCDR as part of a comprehensive effort to address a changing climate is clear. The ocean already absorbs about one-third of human-caused carbon dioxide and more than 90% of the excess heat trapped by greenhouse gases. Microscopic phytoplankton take up much of that carbon dioxide and produce roughly half of Earth’s oxygen through photosynthesis. They also form the foundation of marine food webs, sending large amounts of organic carbon into the deep ocean where it can remain stored for centuries.

In many regions, however, phytoplankton growth is limited by a lack of iron. That’s why scientists, including those involved in the Exploring Ocean Iron Solutions group known as ExOIS, are investigating the impacts of adding small amounts of iron to stimulate blooms that might capture and sink carbon. Early experiments have hinted at promise—potentially hundreds of tons of organic carbon removed for each ton of iron added—but left critical questions unanswered about how long that carbon remains stored, and what harmful or beneficial ecological effects could follow.

Today, robotic floats, autonomous vehicles, satellites, and advanced biogeochemical models allow scientists to study these processes with unprecedented precision. We can now begin to test whether ocean-based carbon removal can work safely and durably at scale. But technology alone isn’t enough. Before carbon markets and industrial actors become more influential, we must build a three-legged stool of science, community engagement, and sustainable governance—each essential, none sufficient on its own.

That’s why the Community Leaders and mCDR, or CLaM, project is such a vital and timely step. By establishing a framework for local and Indigenous governments to participate directly in ocean-climate research, CLaM ensures that those closest to the coast have both a voice and a seat at the table. It recognizes that community input is not a procedural hurdle but the foundation of trust.

The scientific community is beginning to reflect that same ethic. Our consortium at ExOIS is advancing cautiously and transparently, guided by principles rooted in the Asilomar International Conference on Climate Intervention Technologies, which emphasized openness, public oversight, and a readiness to stop if risks outweigh potential benefits. By doing so, ExOIS demonstrates that scientific rigor and social responsibility can reinforce each other rather than compete.

Together, CLaMS and ExOIS show how this field can mature responsibly–and it is growing rapidly. Commercial demand for ocean-based carbon removal is surging, with credit sales already reaching 795,000 tons in mid-2025. As ventures race toward the billion-ton scale, financial incentives will inevitably favor speed over transparency, accountability, sustainability, and community input. If global market demand outpaces sound governance, it will be too late to retrofit trust.

Fishing communities and marine scientists in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest carry a special weight. They built a globally respected model of careful marine-resource management. They are also living the reality of ocean change. Their voices—and their leadership—are urgently needed now. As ocean climate solutions come of age, the science-based guardrails and ocean management institutions of the North Pacific—deliberative bodies that include people who depend on and steward these waters—are essential guides to shape future governance of a fast-growing new ocean industry.