A rapid expansion of marine climate projects could be harming the environments they are trying to save.
Authorities should tread with caution when approving marine projects to tackle climate change, with a new Nature Climate Change study revealing the speed of developing these projects is outstripping the ability to manage them responsibly.
The study looks at marine climate interventions proposed or deployed across 37 areas worldwide, investigating their ability to capture and store carbon dioxide over time and whether appropriate protections are in place to prevent unintended impacts.
These interventions are deliberate, planned actions to tackle climate change, which has created an urgent need for innovative ideas to sustain the marine ecosystems and local communities.
They include blue-carbon programs, marine carbon dioxide removal technologies, coral and seaweed replanting, and breeding marine species that are more tolerant to warming water.
"While trials are under way across a variety of these new marine climate interventions, the effectiveness of many projects is not clear, there is limited planning, and the potential to cause harm is under-regulated," study lead author and marine sociologist Emily Ogier said.
Oceans are on the front line of new planned climate actions, but the study warns governance of these interventions occurs in a "scientific bubble" and "institutional void".
In a survey of 332 project practitioners it found safeguards were seldom observed and assessments and approvals focused on meeting minimum requirements. Limited consideration is given to community involvement and ecological, cultural and social risks.
"It revealed that governance arrangements are not keeping up with the pace of innovation," marine ecologist and co-author Gretta Pecl said.
The authors recommend developing future-facing public policies at a regional level and increasing the capacity for planning and managing climate actions. Experimental projects should consider future marine and climatic conditions.
"Action to reduce harm from climate change is urgently needed, but without clear policies in place, we will see many marine climate projects continue to be tested and deployed in an under-regulated and potentially pseudo-scientific 'bubble'," Associate Professor Ogier said.
