UK project trials carbon capture at sea to help tackle climate change

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🗞️ Driving the news: UK launches SeaCURE pilot to capture CO₂ from seawater
• £3 million government-funded project begins operations in Weymouth
• Aims to enhance ocean’s natural carbon absorption capacity

🔭 The context: SeaCURE acidifies seawater to release and capture dissolved CO₂
• Treated water is rebalanced and returned to the ocean
• Pilot removes approximately 100 tonnes of CO₂ annually

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Oceans absorb about 25% of human-made CO₂ emissions
• Scaling SeaCURE could significantly boost carbon removal efforts
• Potential to process 1% of ocean surface, removing up to 14 billion tonnes of CO₂ yearly

⏭️ What's next: Assessing environmental impacts on marine life is crucial
• Researchers exploring mitigation strategies for ecological safety
• Success could position SeaCURE as a scalable carbon removal solution

💬 One quote: “Seawater has got loads of carbon in it compared to the air, about 150 times more.” — Dr. Paul Halloran, SeaCURE project lead

📈 One stat: SeaCURE currently removes up to 100 tonnes of CO₂ per year—equivalent to emissions from 100 transatlantic flights

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