While research on marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) expands apace, significant unknowns persist regarding the risks and benefits of individual mCDR options. This paper analyses the assumptions and expectations that animate expert understandings of mCDR, with a focus on issues that are central to the responsible governance of this emerging field of climate action. Drawing upon interviews with experts involved in mCDR research projects both academic and entrepreneurial, we highlight four thematic tensions that orient their thinking but are often unstated or left implicit in scientific and technical assessments: (1) the relevance of ‘naturalness’ as a criterion of evaluation for mCDR approaches; (2) the perceived need to accelerate research and development activities via alternative paradigms of evidence-building; (3) a framing of mCDR as a form of waste management that will, in turn, generate new (and currently poorly understood) forms of environmental pollutants; and (4) a commitment to inclusive governance mixed with difficulty in identifying specific stakeholders or constituencies in mCDR interventions. Although expert consensus on these four issues is unlikely, we suggest ways of ensuring that consideration of these themes enriches debate on the responsible development of novel mCDR capabilities.

中文翻译：

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应对巨大的变化：海洋二氧化碳清除的专家想象中的张力

尽管海洋二氧化碳去除 (mCDR) 的研究迅速扩展，但各个 mCDR 方案的风险和收益仍然存在重大未知数。本文分析了促使专家理解 mCDR 的假设和期望，重点关注对这一新兴气候行动领域进行负责任治理的核心问题。根据对参与 mCDR 研究项目（学术和创业）的专家的采访，我们强调了四个主题张力，这些张力引导他们的思维，但在科学和技术评估中经常未阐明或隐含：（1）“自然性”作为标准的相关性mCDR 方法评估； (2) 认为需要通过替代的证据建立范式来加速研究和开发活动； (3) 将 mCDR 视为废物管理的一种形式，而这种形式反过来又会产生新的（目前知之甚少的）形式的环境污染物； (4) 对包容性治理的承诺，但难以确定 mCDR 干预措施中的具体利益相关者或支持者。尽管专家不太可能就这四个问题达成共识，但我们提出了一些方法，以确保对这些主题的考虑丰富了关于负责任地开发新型 mCDR 功能的辩论。