Summary/Abstract
This paper explores the local governance of ocean-based carbon dioxide removal (CDR). Proposals to enhance the ability of oceans and marine ecosystems to absorb atmospheric CO2 are often discussed as examples of “geoengineering,” but this framing obscures the site-specific nature of most of the suggested interventions. The paper outlines some of the key local dimensions of marine CDR as currently imagined, and suggests a framework for increasing local participation in its assessment. The paper argues that a robust processes of local participation is essential to address the place-based conflicts that are bound to emerge if any of the proposed methods of CO2 removal is ever deployed at scale.