Full press release here.

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) is launching a new research program designed to help answer two key questions: Could phytoplankton help remove carbon from the atmosphere, and what are the effects on people and the environment?

With funding from the Ocean Resilience and Climate Alliance (ORCA), EDF will lead a coordinated research initiative that builds on Ocean Visions’ “Phytoplankton Carbon Solutions” (PCS) research agenda.

PCS seek to leverage the ocean’s natural biological carbon pump by stimulating phytoplankton blooms to increase the uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and the export of organic carbon into the deep ocean. PCS include ocean fertilization approaches, which have been subject to limited experimentation since the 1990s, as well as newer concepts.

Under the new program, EDF will serve as the coordinating scientific lead to ensure that the best science available is harnessed to answer the most decision-relevant questions by identifying and resolving critical unknowns. Under the program, EDF will:

Translate the recommendations from the PCS report developed by Ocean Visions into a sequenced research portfolio;

  • Fund a set of research projects via Requests for Proposals for release in fall 2026 and early 2027 that also integrate relevant equity and justice considerations;
  • Provide additional funding pathways for community-driven activities;
  • Build, coordinate, and connect the research community, including establishing a scientific advisory board and broadening global participation;
  • Deliver high-quality synthesis and decision support to inform policymakers, the broader research community, and civil society; and
  • Maintain flexibility and share findings widely, including evidence that may indicate a particular PCS pathway is non-viable, unsafe, undesirable, or uncertain.