Critical exchange for more synergies and joint solutions
Members of the CDRmare research mission discuss joint research projects and their role as scientists in the public debate on marine CO2 removal methods at their three-day annual meeting in Berlin
Berlin, 19 February 2025. More than 100 scientists from the DAM research mission ‘Marine carbon sinks in decarbonisation pathways’ (CDRmare) are meeting today in Berlin-Dahlem for their third annual conference. The three-day conference will focus on overarching issues relating to processes for targeted ocean-based CO2 removal and storage, which the natural scientists, social scientists, legal experts, economists and humanities scholars want to discuss together.
A task with special responsibility
The experts from 16 German research institutions will discuss, for example, how possible applications of the CO2 removal methods they are investigating could be effectively monitored and controlled, and how they as scientists can contribute to developing robust control and regulatory mechanisms. The participants also want to develop strategies to improve the communication of scientific uncertainties and engage in a self-critical debate about their role as experts in the public discussion of targeted CO2 removal.
“At a time of drastic climate change, our research has a responsible role to play. We need to report on our work and results in a way that is transparent and understandable to everyone and to highlight possible options for action and their consequences. At our annual conference, we will discuss how we can best fulfil this task,’ explains Dr. Nadine Mengis, a climate modeler at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel and co-spokesperson of the CDRmare research mission.
Focus on interdisciplinary solutions
A third key topic will be discussions on the evaluation of ocean-based CO2 removal projects and the conditions under which the deployment of certain CO2 removal methods might have to be ruled out. “Even a research mission like CDRmare can only define such limits if we work together across disciplines and engage in intensive dialogue. The ocean, its ecosystems and chemistry, as well as the many human demands on the sea, are far too complex for individuals to develop viable solutions,” says Prof Alexander Proelß, a law professor at the University of Hamburg and co-spokesperson of CDRmare.
In dialogue with national and international experts
The CDRmare researchers are also looking forward to the discussions with members of the mission’s international scientific advisory board. Research into marine CO2 removal processes is currently being conducted at various levels in many places. The topics range from the scientific fundamentals to socio-economic and ethical aspects through to legal issues and solutions for a functioning legal and regulatory framework. ‘Each of these aspects is relevant to our work and we find it enormously enriching to openly discuss international development with our advisory board and to critically scrutinise research results and strategies,’ says Prof. Dr. Andreas Oschlies from GEOMAR, who completes the CDRmare speaker team as an expert in ocean biogeochemistry.
The programme also includes an exchange with the members of the National Expert Forum of the research mission. The forum consists of experts from authorities and federal ministries as well as associations and environmental organisations.
Snapshots from the first day of the CDRmare General Assembly. Photos: Rita Erven & Sina Löschke
In the CDRmare research mission of the German Marine Research Alliance (DAM), various methods of marine CO2 removal and storage (alkalinity enhancement, expansion of vegetation-rich coastal ecosystems, artificial upwelling, CCS) are being investigated with regard to their potential, risks and trade-offs and brought together in a transdisciplinary assessment framework.
CDRmare started in the summer of 2021 with six research consortia. In August 2024, CDRmare entered its second three-year funding phase with five research consortia. CDRmare is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the science ministries of the northern German federal states (Bremen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein).
The CDRmare annual conference is a closed event. We will share highlights of the conference on the CDRmare LinkedIn profile and our new Bluesky channel.