Plan Sea: Ocean Interventions to Address Climate Change

Coastal Resilience and oCDR with Carbon Removal Standards Initiative’s Dr. Gabby Kitch and Anu Khan

In this episode of Plan Sea, hosts Anna Madlener [https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-madlener/] and Dr. Wil Burns [https://www.linkedin.com/in/drburns/] sit down with Dr. Gabby Kitch [https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriella-kitch] and Anu Khan [https://www.linkedin.com/in/anupama-khan/] from the Carbon Removal Standards Initiative [https://carbonremovalstandards.org/] (CRSI) —  a nonprofit organization using science and policy to unlock carbon dioxide removal (CDR) opportunities —  to break down their recently published roadmap, Our Coasts, Resiliency, and Carbon Dioxide Removal [https://carbonremovalstandards.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Our-Coasts-Resiliency-and-Carbon-Dioxide-Removal-CRSI.pdf]. The report identifies three coastal resilience pathways that offer possibility for alignment with ocean-based carbon dioxide removal. Authors of the report, Dr. Kitch and Anu Khan, discuss three types of coastal resilience pathways identified in the roadmap: living shorelines, ecosystem restoration, and stormwater infrastructure. The report explores how these pathways could also offer integrations with carbon removal. The report includes case studies from four coastal states — Louisiana, California, North Carolina, and New Jersey — as well as insights from interviews with more than 40 coastal practitioners. The report authors also explain that 40% of Americans live in coastal counties, making coastal resilience an evolving and necessary field. Across states, resilience infrastructure is expanding, but the authors emphasized that monitoring systems remain underfunded and how permitting processes vary across regions. Integrating CDR, however, can provide an opportunity for assessing its feasibility, standardizing monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV), while also leveraging investments to accelerate learning across the field. This builds on the concept of “sectoral integration,” which reframes CDR as a co-benefit rather than a standalone industry.  Our guests also emphasize the importance of incorporating environmental justice into project design. They spotlight the need for early and meaningful community engagement, co-developing projects for local benefits, using culturally-relevant outreach strategies, and respecting Indigenous rights. Looking ahead, they note that integrated projects are becoming the norm by necessity, and continuing in this trend can position coastal resilience as a case for knowledge sharing across the field.   Plan Sea is a semi-weekly podcast exploring ocean-based climate solutions, brought to you by the Carbon to Sea Initiative and the American University Institute for Responsible Carbon Removal. ACRONYMS/CONCEPTS: * CEQA: California Environmental Quality Act * CPRA: Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority * CRSI: Carbon Removal Standards Initiative  * mCDR: Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal  * MRV: Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification * NOAA: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration  * OAE: Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement Plan Sea is a semi-weekly podcast exploring ocean-based climate solutions, brought to you by the Carbon to Sea Initiative & the American University Institute for Responsible Carbon Removal.

Scientific Communication with COMPASS mCDR Communication Leaders at OSM 2026

In this special video edition of Plan Sea, host Anna Madlener [https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-madlener/] and Carbon to Sea’s Senior Manager for Communications, Danny Gawlowski [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dannygawlowski/], record from the Ocean Sciences Meeting (OSM) in Glasgow, Scotland. They sit down with members of the COMPASS mCDR Communication Leaders program —  Dr. Abigale Wyatt [https://www.linkedin.com/in/amwyatt/], an ocean modeler from [C]Worthy, Dr. Mariam Swaleh [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariam-swaleh-33aa60216/], who leads the Ocean Climate Innovation Hub in Kenya, and Dr. Kohen Bauer [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kohen-bauer-phd/], science director at Ocean Networks Canada — to explore what makes science communication effective, where it falls short, and lessons learned for communicating about mCDR research. The Communication Leaders program, sponsored in part by Carbon to Sea, aims to support mCDR experts with the skills to engage with policymakers, media, funders, and local communities, helping them to foster responsible dialogue across the field. Drs. Wyatt, Swaleh, and Bauer shared how — through a series of virtual trainings and a culminating two-day, in-person workshop — participants collaborated on exercises to clarify their audience, utilize accessible language, and practice realistic scenarios through role-playing stakeholder engagements. These exercises helped  build confidence, expose gaps in existing community engagement practices, and approach forums like OSM with a clearer communication lens.  Effective science communication is essential to bridge mCDR researchers and their scientific findings with peers in other fields, decision-makers who influence research permitting and funding, and communities where research is happening. Dr. Bauer framed it as a foundational skill operating as the basis for collaboration and learning. A chemist by trade, Dr. Swaleh emphasized the limits of highly technical jargon and noted that accessible language is key to reaching your audience. Dr. Wyatt first saw the benefits from the personal experience of navigating conversations with climate skeptical family members.  Our guests also discuss challenges in communicating across cultures, different types of stakeholders, highly politicized environments, language barriers, and different levels of scientific literacy. Dr. Swaleh shares part of this difficulty in the way “common” phrases, such as climate change, can experience difficulties in the way they are translated. She recounts how in Kiswahili, the notion of climate change moved from discussing the weather to “patterns of the country.” In this way effective communication requires slowing down, listening first, and building a shared understanding together.  Thank you to everyone who shared their time to join us in-person at OSM in Glasgow, it was an incredibly insightful opportunity to connect, reflect, and learn alongside the field’s global community. To learn more about the COMPASS mCDR Communications Leaders program and the insights Drs. Wyatt, Swaleh, and Bauer shared about how they approach communications across different audiences and contexts, watch or listen to the episode through your preferred podcast service and find the entire series here [https://plansea.buzzsprout.com/].  Plan Sea is a semi-weekly podcast exploring ocean-based climate solutions, brought to you by the Carbon to Sea Initiative and the American University Institute for Responsible Carbon Removal. ACRONYMS/CONCEPTS: * DOR: Direct Ocean Removal * EVs: Electric Vehicles * mCDR: Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal * MRV: Monitoring, Reporting, and Verificati Plan Sea is a semi-weekly podcast exploring ocean-based climate solutions, brought to you by the Carbon to Sea Initiative & the American University Institute for Responsible Carbon Removal.

Planeteers’ Frank Rattey and Dr. Thorben Amann on closed-system, alkalinity-based carbon removal

In this edition of Plan Sea, hosts Anna Madlener [https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-madlener/] and Wil Burns [https://www.linkedin.com/in/drburns/] are joined by Frank Rattey [https://www.linkedin.com/in/frank-rattey-3105a4/] and Dr. Thorben Amann [https://www.linkedin.com/in/thorben-amann-05484bab/?originalSubdomain=de] of Planeteers [https://planeteers.de/en/] — a Hamburg-based carbon removal startup researching alkalinity-based carbon dioxide removal (CDR) approaches — to discuss the science behind their closed-system pathway, their first field tests, and the national regulations guiding ocean-climate research. Dr. Thorben Amann is the Research and Development Lead at Planeteers and a geochemical CDR specialist. In this episode, Thorben explains how Planeteers’ closed-system approach differs from other ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) strategies. Rather than dissolving alkalinity directly in the ocean to drive carbon dioxide uptake, Planeteers combines carbon dioxide from point sources and alkaline feedstock in a closed reactor where it forms stable alkalinity and is then discharged into rivers or oceans.  Thorben walks through the chemistry behind this process and explains how this approach offers advantages for monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV). Because inputs and outputs are in a controlled reactor, Thorben asserts it’s easier to conduct monitoring and initial reporting. At the same time, Thorben highlights a key challenge for the field: ensuring the stability of the alkalinity after discharge. For carbon storage to be durable, he explains that the alkalinity must remain equilibrated and stable.  Frank Rattey, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Planeteers, then discusses Project Helix [https://planeteers.de/en/our-projects/azv-suedholstein-hetlingen-germany/], Planeteers’ first field deployment located at a wastewater treatment plant in Hetlingen, Germany. Validated through the registry Isometric, this first-of-its-kind research project discharges alkalinity-enriched water into the treatment plant’s aquatic system to provide long-term carbon storage.  Noting that Germany is the only country in the world that has translated the London Convention London Protocol into national law, Frank also offers insight into how Planeteers is operating under Germany’s regulatory environment. In order to conduct their field research safely and responsibly, Planeteers cooperates with wastewater treatment plants, construction permits, and regional water authorities in the country. To learn more about Planeteers’ closed-system, alkalinity-based CDR approach, listen to the episode above, subscribe with your favorite podcast service, or find the entire series here [https://plansea.buzzsprout.com/].  Plan Sea is a semi-weekly podcast exploring ocean-based climate solutions, brought to you by the Carbon to Sea Initiative and the American University Institute for Responsible Carbon Removal. ACRONYMS/CONCEPTS: * MRV: monitoring, reporting, verification * CO2: carbon dioxide  * R&D: research and development * CDR: carbon dioxide removal * OAE: ocean alkalinity enhancement * LCA: life cycle analysis * EU: European Union * London Convention (LC): Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter 1972 * London Protocol: 1996 Protocol to the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter, 1972 Plan Sea is a semi-weekly podcast exploring ocean-based climate solutions, brought to you by the Carbon to Sea Initiative & the American University Institute for Responsible Carbon Removal.

Professor Dr. Alexander Proelss on the current state of international legal frameworks regulating oCDR

In this episode of Plan Sea, hosts Anna Madlener [https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-madlener/] and Wil Burns [https://www.linkedin.com/in/drburns/] sit down with Professor Dr. Alexander Proelss [https://www.jura.uni-hamburg.de/en/die-fakultaet/personenverzeichnis/proelss-alexander.html], Chair in the International Law of the Sea and International Environmental Law, Public International Law, and Public Law at the University of Hamburg, to discuss the current state and recent developments of international legal frameworks regulating ocean-based carbon dioxide removal (oCDR). Alexander discusses the need for international law to ensure responsible regulation of oCDR, and offers insight into the relevant international agreements for oCDR research. Alexander joins Anna and Wil to help make sense of the existing international landscape, as well as what they mean for the development and regulation of ocean-climate research. He explains that international law is essential to ensuring responsible development of oCDR — and yet there is no single international treaty governing it.   He explains how the 1972 London Convention and the 1996 London Protocol (LC/LP) — originally designed to regulate the dumping of waste but later adapted to govern marine geoengineering — is the most relevant international framework to date, guiding the ocean-climate field. However, it has had slow progress in listing and regulating oCDR methods such as ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE). Alexander discusses how today, the LC/LP interacts with the Paris agreement, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and the 2023 Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement (BBNJ). He also offers insight into how new legislation in Germany could make the country a "front runner" by implementing the LC/LP, permitting scientific research of several oCDR approaches and marking a significant shift from its previously highly precautionary stance. Alexander also discusses the tendency of international agreements to limit oCDR activities to scientific research and how regulation must balance risk mitigation with harnessing the benefits of oCDR. Looking ahead, he explains how a clear framework for governing commercial activity could help proven oCDR methods grow responsibly.  To learn more about the latest state of international legal frameworks for oCDR, listen to the episode above, subscribe with your favorite podcast service, or find the entire series here [https://plansea.buzzsprout.com/].  Plan Sea is a semi-weekly podcast exploring ocean-based climate solutions, brought to you by the Carbon to Sea Initiative and the American University Institute for Responsible Carbon Removal. ACRONYMS/CONCEPTS: * London Convention (LC): Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter 1972 * London Protocol: 1996 Protocol to the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter, 1972 * OAE: ocean alkalinity enhancement * oCDR: ocean carbon dioxide removal * CDR: carbon dioxide removal * UNCLOS: UN Convention on the Law of the Sea * EEZ: exclusive economic zones * BBNJ: Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement of 2023 * ICJ: International Court of Justice Plan Sea is a semi-weekly podcast exploring ocean-based climate solutions, brought to you by the Carbon to Sea Initiative & the American University Institute for Responsible Carbon Removal.

Hourglass Climate's Dr. Grace Andrews and Kristi Weighman on the launch of the Framework for Ecotoxicological Modeling of mCDR

In this episode, hosts Anna Madlener [https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-madlener/] and Wil Burns [https://www.linkedin.com/in/drburns/] are joined by Dr. Grace Andrews [https://www.linkedin.com/in/m-grace-andrews-46272b174/] and Kristi Weighman [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristi-weighman-72057257/?originalSubdomain=be] of Hourglass Climate [https://hourglassclimate.org/about/] — a leading nonprofit researching ocean-based carbon dioxide removal (oCDR, also known as mCDR ) methods like ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) — to discuss the launch of the Framework for Ecotoxicological Modeling of mCDR (FEMM) [https://hourglassclimate.org/femm/]. This project explores how ecotoxicological modeling and existing statistical approaches can be applied to OAE and oCDR projects, improving the field’s understanding of these potential climate solutions’ environmental risks. Dr. Andrews and Weighman offer insight into their process building and receiving feedback on FEMM, the framework’s regulatory potential, and how FEMM can be applied across oCDR research.  Dr. Grace Andrews, Founder and Executive Director of Hourglass Climate, now in her tenth year of working in the CDR field, last appeared [https://www.carbontosea.org/2024/10/31/plan-sea-podcast-episode-4/] on Plan Sea in 2024 to discuss Hourglass’ role in advancing monitoring, verification, and reporting (MRV) for OAE. In this episode, she’s joined by Kristi Weighman, an Hourglass scientist with expertise in ecotoxicology. Together, Grace and Kristi discuss how they recognized a critical gap in oCDR research — the lack of tools to monitor and model environmental risk — and developed a first-of-its-kind framework to fill that gap.  Grace explains how our understanding of oCDR’s environmental safety has lagged behind scientific developments in the field. In order to advance these projects in a responsible way, Grace believes that the field needs more rigorous, standardized approaches for modeling and measuring environmental risks.  FEMM aims to address this gap through combining established statistical approaches with emerging modeling techniques, borrowing existing protocols from the ecotoxicology space and applying them to the nuances of oCDR. The framework begins with a screening-level assessment that uses highly conservative assumptions to determine whether a project’s risks can be ruled out. Projects with identified risk may need to redesign aspects of their approach before moving on to more realistic assessment tools. The modeling relies on species sensitivity distributions (SSD) and calculations based on predicted environmental concentration (PEC) and predicted no effect concentration (PNEC). While this SSD approach has been applied to other environmental stressors, this is the first time it’s been applied to oCDR. Grace and Kristi also highlight examples of specific mCDR stressors and conditions where data may be too sparse to fully apply this approach today, and outline research priorities that will enable a standardized approach for these over time. Looking ahead, Grace and Kristi share their optimism about FEMM’s utility for researchers and broader oCDR stakeholders. They hope the tool will enable users to identify potential risk in their proposed projects, integrate cross-disciplinary data, and foster greater regulatory dialogue.  Plan Sea is a semi-weekly podcast exploring ocean-based climate solutions, brought to you by the Carbon to Sea Initiative and the American University Institute for Responsible Carbon Removal. To listen to Dr. Grace Andrew’s first Plan Sea podcast appearance, https://www.carbontosea.org/2024/10/31/plan-sea-podcast-episode-4/ Plan Sea is a semi-weekly podcast exploring ocean-based climate solutions, brought to you by the Carbon to Sea Initiative & the American University Institute for Responsible Carbon Removal.