By Carbon to Sea Initiative
On October 26, Canada’s Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans held a hearing on ocean sequestration technologies and their use in Canada. Carbon to Sea’s Director of Global Policy, Diane Hoskins, testified in front of the committee about the importance of government leadership and investment in ocean-based carbon dioxide removal (oCDR), and Canada’s unique opportunity to ensure the sector advances in the public interest.
Canada is home to advanced, real-world ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) research, including Carbon to Sea grantees at Dalhousie University and Planetary Technologies. Pointing to this research, Hoskins discussed how Canada is already playing a key role in ensuring the field develops with transparency, safety, and the public good in mind.
“With the longest coastline in the world, globally recognized academic institutions, and a robust ocean-based economy, Canada can be a world-leader in advancing responsible research and development of ocean-based climate solutions,” said Hoskins. “If it invests in research and clarifies regulations, Canada can set the global standard for responsible oCDR while protecting its coasts, potentially creating thousands of jobs, and contributing to the global effort against climate change.”
Hoskins’ key points included:
- Carbon removal is a necessary complement to deep emissions cuts. We need both to meet our climate goals.
- Governments cannot sit on the sidelines. They have a critical role in ensuring the field develops with transparency, safety, and the public good in mind.
- Canada has an opportunity to lead now in multiple ways, such as funding OAE R&D, providing public-interest oversight through clear rules, setting carbon removal targets, and catalyzing private co-investment.
You can read Hoskins’ written testimony below, download the written testimony, and view the full transcript on the Senate of Canada site.
