In October 2024, an American company called EBB Carbon announced The largest marine carbon elimination agreement in the world To date, the signing of an agreement of several million dollars with Microsoft to try to solve a very real problem in the seas of the world: the acidification of the ocean.
EBB plans to use a method called electrochemical improvement in oceanic alkalinity (OAE) to imitate the natural process of oceanic alkalization – in other words, it wants to add enormous quantities of alkaline materials to ocean waters that scientists now know acidify at an alarming rate at an alarming rate at an alarming rate.
The reflux is not alone. In September 2024, Canada High planetary technologies Just over $ 11 million (8 million pounds sterling) of companies, including Evok Innovations and BDC Capital, to improve oceanic alkalinity, while in 2025, another company, Equatic, sold 60,000 carbon elimination credits in Boeingto allow him to do the same.
The growth of the sector – part of the largest carbon elimination market – has been astronomical and has started to ring alarms for many ocean scientists around the world.
“The jury is still on the damage that OAE could make,” said Dr. James Kerry, expert in coral reefs and principal researcher at James Cook University. He says that if too much alkalinity is added to the water, an event called precipitation can occur: carbonates could create minerals in water that act as pollutants. “It could block light levels; He could be wrong like food by sea creatures. ”
An increase in the world, acidification of oceans increases. As the ocean absorbs 30% of atmospheric carbon excess, it sets up a chain of chemical reactions which leads to the pH of the dangerously acidic ocean, which in turn affects humans and marine life.
The pH of worldwater has decreased by 40% since pre -industrial times, With almost half of this decrease since the 1980s. On the west coast of the Americas, deep waters have contributed to a Mass acidification event in 2012 which contributed to died Varech forests along more than 220 miles (350 km) of coast. These changes in the acidity of the ocean affect the smallest creatures, in particular crustaceans such as crustaceans or crabs, which are unable to build their skeletons in such conditions.
Although little doubt that acidification of oceans is a real and increasing problem, concern is that science behind geoengineering solutions, which handle the natural processes of the earth to try to solve a problem, is in its infancy. However, hundreds of millions of dollars are paid into the promulgation of these solutions.
Large companies buy credits in carbon dioxide (Co2) Withdrawal projects as a way to compensate for their own emissions, which allows them to achieve their durability objectives or comply with regulations.
Total carbon elimination purchases (not just those of marine projects) increased from 41 million pounds sterling in 2022 to more than 1.9 billion pounds sterling in 2024, according to the Wall Street Journal. Some experts say the Industry could reach 37 billion pounds sterling by 2030Motivated by industries that find it difficult to reduce their emissions, in particular aviation, cement and steel production.
“In all kinds of attenuation approaches, everything is about the scale,” said Dr. Christopher Gobler of Stony Brook University. “If it is not sufficiently put on the scale, they will have no effect. If they are too much on the scale, they could push the pH too high, which could create problems for certain organisms, such as sea grasses.”
Ben Tarbell, CEO of EBB, says that the question of the scale is “fundamental for any climatic solution” and that the company is aware of doing so safely and responsible. “We measure precisely and the alkalinity of the meters which is introduced into the ocean,” he says. “We constantly follow key water indicators like pH, and can automatically stop if thresholds are approached.”
He also points to a Study carried out with scientists and local Lower Elwha Klallam tribe In Port Angeles, Washington, which the company has undertaken to test the effects of alkaline improvement on salmon in carefully controlled conditions.
As the industry advances, many turn to EBB and its Microsoft agreement to see what is going on. Now operating in the state of Washington in the United States at less than 100 tonnes per year of carbon elimination, this summer, the company will move to a new Port Angeles factory, only 30 miles (50 km), which can eliminate 1,000 tonnes of carbon per year.
“This plant will allow us to trust to build a lot of much larger plants,” explains Tarbell. The company builds its infrastructure on existing desalination factories. “Our approach to improving oceanic alkalinity can reach more than 2 billion tonnes of CO2 withdrawal per year in the coming decades. »»
He adds: “We will not repair the whole of the ocean, but we can deactivate the coastal ocean, where most of the life forms thrive.”
Since technologies use that these companies are new, international and national legislative organizations are struggling to follow. . Although an international legal consensus on how to control the improvement in ocean alkalinity is reached, some companies continue with trials in the field.
In 2022, Canada’s planetary technologies attracted anger for his experiences St Ives Bay Cornwall, United Kingdom. Its techniques for improving oceanic alkalinity have become the target of a multi -month campaign by the local population, surfers, wildlife organizations and business owners, who all considered that they did not have enough information on the damage that these experiences could make.
Some, such as Sue Sayer, founder of the Cornwall Seal Group Research Trust, worried damage to the local ecosystem, in particular the population of gray seals. “In the best of cases, there is no impact on the seals; in the worst case, there are no fish, no seals, no surfers, no tourism, no economy,” she said at the time of the demonstrations.
Planetary technologies no longer works in the United KingdomBut by 2024, he announced a new financing cycle, including a carbon credit sale in Microsoft. He said in April of this year that the Cornish trial “had demonstrated great potential” but that he had since decided not to continue a full program in Cornwall “due to commercial infascability”.
Asked about his new financing cycle and Cornwall events, the company refused to comment.
Many scientists are not opposed to the exploration of the possibilities of Geoenginering, especially since the pressure of doing something more than simply reducing emissions increases.
“The ultimate cause of global ocean acidification is the rise2 In the atmosphere of the increase in emissions, ”explains Gobler. But, he said, as a “toolbox” to fight against emissions2 The effect of each approach should probably be a consideration. ”
Brad Ack, CEO of Oceanic visionsA non -profit organization for eliminating marine carbon, underlines this. “There is a line of pilot pain that we see on the planet, and it is the concentration of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. And there are only two ways to affect this. One is to stop putting the co2 in, and the other is to remove it. »»
But many want to look at other solutions first and are concerned about the speed of progression of this artificial approach. Kerry suggests seeking more nature -based solutions, such as restoration and protection of sea housing as a way to mitigate the problem.
Other problems with which companies face is to precisely assess the amount of carbon removed by the OAE. The varied factors that the depth of the water, the temperature, the tides and the variability of the seabed all affect the amount of atmospheric carbon removed and how long it will be kidnapped.
Dr. David Ho, of (C) Worthy, a non -profit organization for eliminating marine carbon which offers formulas for techniques such as the improvement of oceanic alkalinity, believes that carbon elimination efforts should be motivated at government level. “It is logical that these companies must sell credits to survive,” he says. “At the same time, they have no way to prove that what they are doing is effective – it’s a big problem.”