Out of sight, out of mind
In presentations of mCDR strategies, the deep ocean is routinely depicted schematically as a black, featureless abyss, without acknowledgement that the receiving environments for carbon disposal are biodiverse, heterogeneous, and provide critical ecosystem functions. Up until the 1970s, plans for retrieving minerals from the deep seabed likewise included no recognition of the potential harm caused to species living there. While such impacts now motivate many DSM debates, proposals for mCDR continue to rely on an outdated view of the deep ocean as a place where waste can be dumped far from sight and without consequences.
Research into the risks associated with DSM has informed a counter-narrative to the emergency framing and “climatism” used by proponents of deep-seabed mineral extraction. A similar counter-narrative has yet to receive comparable attention in current debates on the feasibility and safety of mCDR but is very much needed. Consideration of a wide array of risks associated with large-scale mCDR interventions and consequences for marine ecosystems and environments is rapidly becoming essential as business interests outpace science and policy development. Like DSM, mCDR needs to be carefully considered not in relation to narrowly framed numerical climate targets, but within a holistic framework including potential far-reaching impacts on marine life, deep-ocean ecosystems and social equity.