Climate Groups Warn Against ‘Dangerous’ Marine Geoengineering Push At Ocean Conference
Princess-Ekwi Ajide
For millions of coastal families, the ocean is more than a vast body of water, it is a source of food, income and identity.
Environmental groups now fear that untested climate technologies could put those lifelines at risk.
It is against this backdrop, that civil society organisations have raised the alarm over what they describe as a dangerous global push to expand marine geoengineering, warning that unproven climate technologies could threaten ocean ecosystems and the livelihoods of millions of people.
The warning follows a series of announcements at the 2026 Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa, Kenya, including the unveiling of an African Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal (mCDR) Roadmap and fresh funding to accelerate research into ocean-based carbon removal technologies.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Hands Off Mother Earth (HOME) Alliance and partner organisations argued that marine geoengineering is a “false solution” to climate change, saying it distracts from the urgent need to cut greenhouse gas emissions at their source.
The groups warned that large-scale ocean experiments could alter marine chemistry, disrupt ecosystems and turn countries in the Global South into testing grounds for technologies whose long-term impacts remain uncertain.
They also expressed concern that growing commercial interest, carbon markets and private investment could shift control of ocean-based climate interventions away from affected communities.
The coalition, however, welcomed Kenya’s support for a precautionary pause on deep-sea mining, urging governments to apply the same principle to marine geoengineering.
They called on world leaders to halt outdoor marine geoengineering experiments and prioritise proven, rights-based climate solutions that protect biodiversity and vulnerable coastal communities.
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