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Capitol Hill Ocean Week 2026

Capitol Hill Ocean Week 2026

Ocean Visions is participating in Capitol Hill Ocean Week (CHOW) to help shape policy-oriented dialogue on potential solutions to address climate-driven impacts on ocean health. 

 

The climate crisis and ocean health are deeply intertwined. Ocean Visions has an ambitious agenda to responsibly advance potential ocean-climate solutions, including through policy mechanisms that help guide research, development, and deployment.   

Together with experts from World Resources Institute, Carbon to Sea, Carbon180, and the Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes at Arizona State University, we are convening discussions focused on how emerging approaches like marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) can move forward safely and transparently. 

Ocean Visions' Co-hosted Events

Ocean Visions and its co-hosts will lead a series of sessions to connect policymakers and the ocean community around shared questions about ocean-based carbon dioxide removal, including: 

CHOW mCDR Happy Hour 

Wednesday, June 3rd 4:00-6:00 PM

Elephant & Castle
1201 Pennsylvania Ave NW


Join us for an mCDR happy hour during Capitol Hill Oceans Week at Elephant & Castle co-hosted by Carbon180, Carbon to Sea, and Ocean Visions! Come grab a drink and meet some new and familiar faces, including panelists from the CHOW mCDR side events earlier on Wednesday. It’s the perfect way to start the evening of the NOAA Fish Fry on a relaxed and social note.

 

​Whether you’re deep in the world of marine carbon dioxide removal or just getting started, this is a great chance to have real conversations in a casual setting. Elephant & Castle is right on Pennsylvania Ave, steps away from the Department of Commerce building.

​**This widely attended event is designed to comply with House and Senate ethics rules.**

 

 

When: Wednesday, June 3, 10:00 AM – 11:30 EST (Doors open at 9:30)
Where: Open Gov Hub, 1100 13th Street, NW, Washington, DC, in the Kinshasa & Lagos rooms
Speakers: Priyanka Hooghan (Carbon to Sea), who will also moderate the panel; Jennifer Rennicks (World Resources Institute); Ruth Driscoll-Lovejoy (Ocean Visions); and Stacy Aguilera-Peterson (Carbon180).

This panel session is intended for policymakers, government relations professionals, and other policy experts in the ocean community and will include time for audience Q&A. Please join us for coffee, small bites, and networking beginning at 9:30 AM. 

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recognizes that stabilizing the climate and restoring ocean health requires both deep emissions cuts and large-scale carbon dioxide removal (CDR). Ocean-based CDR, also known as marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR), refers to approaches that enhance the ocean’s natural ability to absorb and store excess carbon for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.  

With the ocean covering 70% of the Earth and holding 42 times the carbon in the atmosphere, mCDR has vast potential, if proven effective and safe. Because mCDR is a nascent field garnering increasing scientific, governmental, and private-sector interest, additional research is necessary to address uncertainties related to efficacy, ecosystem impacts, and governance, which decision-makers must understand to determine whether and how mCDR approaches should be scaled responsibly. 

In this session, attendees will hear from Carbon180, Carbon to Sea, Ocean Visions, and World Resources Institute on the state of mCDR, U.S. policy and regulatory developments, and priority research gaps. The discussion will also highlight resources, reports, and frameworks that can help decision-makers engage thoughtfully in this emerging policy space. 

Register here: https://luma.com/t9igi20k 
Register early as space is limited. 

 

When: Wednesday, June 3, 2:00-3:30 EST (Doors open at 1:30)
Where: Open Gov Hub, 1100 13th Street, NW, Washington, DC, in the Kinshasa & Lagos rooms
Speakers: Ruth Driscoll-Lovejoy (Ocean Visions) who will also be moderating the panel, Nasya Dodson (Carbon180), Mara Karageozian (Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes at ASU)

Please join us for coffee, soft drinks, snacks, and networking beginning at 1:30pm. The session will begin at 2pm and run for 90 minutes. Carbon180, Carbon to Sea, and  Ocean Visions invite attendees to join an ocean-climate reception following the panel. 

Alongside deep and rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, large-scale carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is now recognized as crucial to meeting international climate agreements and ensuring a safe climate for existing and future generations. Ocean-based CDR, also known as marine CDR (mCDR), is a nascent portfolio of potential strategies that mimic and enhance the ocean’s natural capacity to cycle carbon out of the atmosphere and transform it into inert forms sequestered in the deep sea. mCDR methods are being developed, tested, revised, and re-tested all across the world.

If mCDR is proven effective and safe, it could help achieve the levels of carbon dioxide removal needed ed to counterbalance hard-to-abate emissions and achieve net-zero climate goals. However, additional research is needed to address uncertainties regarding efficacy, ecosystem impacts, governance, and responsible scaling. 

During this session, speakers from Ocean Visions, Carbon180, and the Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes at Arizona State University will provide attendees with a primer on mCDR and share their experiences working in the developing field of ocean conservation. Attendees can also expect to learn about community engagement, co-design, and other capacity building efforts in the mCDR field. Specific place-based examples of those efforts will be shared, along with findings on how mCDR research and development intersect with and may even complement other ocean interventions, such as coastal resilience. The panelists will highlight resources, reports, and frameworks that can help individuals and their communities make informed decisions about mCDR. 

Register here: https://luma.com/t9igi20k 
Register early as space is limited. 

Get Involved

We invite policymakers as well as members of ocean, climate, and environmental NGO communities to join us. 

Resources

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