Promoting socially responsible governance of new marine climate intervention

New interventions to address climate change in marine systems are rising in pace and scale, such as marine restoration, marine bioengineering, and biological marine carbon dioxide removal. These interventions hold the promise of reducing climate impacts and delivering global benefits. However, they also have the potential to reconfigure local marine systems, impacting ecosystem services, livelihoods, and use or access rights of ocean-dependent communities. Considering and managing such social impacts are key to socially responsible governance. Yet our analysis of 76 interventions being proposed, tested, and implemented globally shows that decisions about whether and how to intervene in marine systems often focus on scientific, economic, and ecological feasibility without fully anticipating or managing risks and benefits to people and societies. Opportunities to improve socially responsible governance of new marine climate interventions include (1) deliberate anticipation of possible social impacts, (2) inclusive public engagement in intervention deliberation, (3) ethically informed decisions, and (4) institutional codification of intervention best practices. Such reforms are critical to ensuring socially responsible and ecologically sustainable marine climate interventions.