Aotearoa Marine Carbon Forum

Should our ocean be part of the solution to climate change?

The ocean has absorbed one-third of all the carbon dioxide we have emitted to date and, with the current ambition on reducing emissions, there is considerable international interest (and finance) in enhancing this marine sink. Our large Exclusive Economic Zone represents a potential opportunity to make a meaningful commitment to the Paris Agreement goals, whilst also reducing expenditure and reliance on offshore carbon credits and forestry. However, marine Carbon Dioxide Removal (mCDR) techniques, including coastal Blue Carbon, open ocean fertilization and liming, have inherent risks and also challenges of scaling up and permanence. Consequently, a carefully considered national strategy is required to assess their pros and cons, so maximising the use of Aotearoa New Zealand research, funding and resources whilst reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide and maintaining marine ecosystem resilience.

The forum will provide independent evidence-based analysis of the potential of nature-based solutions for capturing and storing carbon in Aotearoa’s coastal waters and ocean. The forum will facilitate co-ordination and collaboration within and across sectors (research, policy, government, private sector), and with Iwi/Māori, on carbon sequestration and burial in Aotearoa’s marine environment. This will inform the development of a national strategy for assessing the relative merits and risks of different techniques, that will ensure joint benefits of optimal carbon dioxide removal and increased resilience of marine ecosystems.

The objectives of the forum are to:

• develop a marine carbon removal strategy for Aotearoa that includes a mātauranga Māori (te Ao Māori and tikanga) approach that respects Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles to ensure the considered delivery of national and international climate and biodiversity objectives.
• enhance the evidence base surrounding the diverse carbon dioxide removal approaches that exist in Aotearoa’s territorial sea and EEZ, including those beyond the 2013 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Wetlands Supplement.
• connect marine carbon experts and kaitiaki from research institutions, Iwi/Māori, non-government organisations, civil society, public bodies and the New Zealand Government, so providing a platform for researchers to provide evidence-based advice directly to policy makers and also for the Government to engage efficiently with researchers.
• share information, data and knowledge on marine carbon removal approaches, so that research direction and policy development can be aligned for valued implementation across sectors.
• provide a point of contact to similar fora internationally, and a staging point for Aotearoa to collaborate on multi-national initiatives.

Collaboration of Mātauranga with Western science

The Aotearoa Marine Carbon Forum is inherently anchored in respect for Te Ao Māori recognising how important the realm of Tangaroa and Hinemoana is to Māori. Our first objective is developing a marine carbon removal strategy for Aotearoa that includes a mātauranga Māori (te Ao Māori and tikanga) approach that respects Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles to ensure the considered delivery of national and international climate and biodiversity objectives. One of our Steering group members, Dr Adrienne Paul is a leading Māori marine legal and policy expert lecturing at the Auckland University of Technology and ensuring AMCF has an authentic approach to respecting Te Ao Māori.

The forum includes:

Dr Rebecca McLeod, Senior Research Fellow, Department of Geology, University of Otago; Prof Cliff Law, Principal Scientist-Marine Biogeochemistry, NIWA and University of Otago; Katherine Short, Principal & Director, F.L.O.W. Collaborative Ltd.; Prof Caroline Saunders, Director, Agribusiness and Economics Research Institute, Lincoln University; Prof Karen Scott, Faculty of Law, University of Canterbury; and Dr Adrienne Paul, Law School, Auckland University of Technology

We aim to raise awareness of the important opportunity the ocean potentially provides in sequestering carbon. The outcome of UNESCO funding will be to demonstrate broad support for the Forum and initial shape of its work programme.

Once the Forum is formalised its anticipated outcomes (in an ongoing manner) are that the New Zealand Government will receive:

1. Comprehensive independent evidence-based advice on the potential benefits and drawbacks of different mCDR techniques in its territorial seas and EEZ through:

• analysing the scientific literature.
• considering scientific capability in New Zealand.
• considering the feasibility, readiness, scalability, environmental and ecological risks, effectiveness, and the status of monitoring, reporting and verification, and relevant regulatory frameworks.
• considering mCDR in Te Ao Māori context including mātauranga Māori.

2. Advice on which mCDR options will bring economic value for the country without compromising our unique biodiversity and environs,

• including economic modelling and analysis.
• considering environmental and ecological risk and compromise of techniques.

3. An assessment framework to apply to mCDR techniques:

• incorporating the findings from previous outcomes.
• guiding decision making with respect to national research funding, direction and capability building.

4. Comprehensive evidence-based information on mCDR options in a common-language format to support future consultation (focused and public).

5. Participation in international mCDR communities and initiatives (e.g. International Partnership for Blue Carbon, UN Ocean Decade Programme GEOS (Global Ecosystem for Ocean Solutions) etc.) to inform climate change responses of other nations, and ability to provide advice and comment on mCDR developments in areas beyond our national jurisdiction (e.g. high seas).

6. Enable collaboration amongst national community of researchers, knowledge holders, practitioners and policy makers, that is working in a focused manner to bring our seas into New Zealand’s climate change response.