Sara Nawaz, Rethinking Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement

Ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) is an emerging approach to carbon dioxide removal that aims to increase the ocean’s ability to store carbon dioxide (CO₂) over long periods. Often presented as a large-scale, coordinated climate intervention capable of removing billions of tonnes of CO₂ from the atmosphere each year, OAE may be more effective and practical when adapted to local needs and conditions.

In a new co-authored article published in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, Director of Research at SIS's Institute for Responsible Carbon Removal Sara Nawaz proposes a shift towards using OAE as a flexible tool for managing CO₂ in specific regions. Nawaz and her co-authors show how integrating smaller-scale approaches into local environmental, social and political contexts could help governments and communities pursue realistic climate goals. Because OAE can be implemented in different ways, a range of approaches tailored to diverse coastal environments may offer a more practical path to wider adoption than a single, universal strategy.

Nawaz's article explains why expanding OAE will depend on ensuring that its implementation is environmentally responsible, demonstrably removes more CO₂ than it emits, and earns public trust. This locally driven vision reflects the direction of early real-world OAE projects, but it also calls for significant changes in how environmental impacts are assessed, carbon removal is measured and verified, and projects are governed. Ultimately, advancing OAE requires moving beyond a one-size-fits-all global approach towards research, policy and practice that respond to the specific needs and conditions of individual places.

Read the article here.