Microsoft has signed a deal with Ebb Carbon’s to use the ocean to remove some 350,000 tones of CO2 over the next decade.

Carbon removal has become the focal point of many climate change efforts, as it represents one of the best, most cost-effective ways of combating climate change and rising temperatures. Ebb Carbon’s Electrochemical Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE) ” increases the ocean’s natural ability to draw down and permanently store atmospheric CO2.”

Ebb Carbon’s technology taps into the process whereby weather rocks produce alkaline minerals that make their way into the ocean and “convert CO2 in seawater into bicarbonate and carbonate ions.” The ions are able to safely store the carbon “for more than 10,000 years.” Ebb Carbon says the ocean has already absorbed nearly a third of all CO2 since the Industrial Revolution began. Increasing its natural capability could be a significant step toward getting CO2 emissions under control.

“Microsoft is setting a powerful example with its commitment to becoming carbon negative by 2030 and by using its purchasing power to accelerate the most promising climate solutions. This agreement underscores the potential of Ebb Carbon’s technology to contribute meaningfully to gigaton-scale carbon removal in the years ahead,” said Ben Tarbell, CEO of Ebb Carbon

“The ocean is a critical part of the carbon cycle,” said Brian Marrs, Senior Director of Energy & Carbon Removal at Microsoft. “Ebb has developed technology to leverage the natural attributes of the ocean – its massive surface area and natural ocean processes that already pull CO2 from the atmosphere – to durably remove and store large volumes of atmospheric carbon. We are pleased to collaborate with Ebb to both accelerate the scientific foundation for ocean-based carbon dioxide removal and explore the potential of ocean-based carbon removal solutions at scale.”

“It’s great to see Microsoft and Ebb using Isometric’s first of its kind Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE) protocol to verify carbon removal,” said Stacy Kauk, P.Eng., Chief Science Officer, Isometric. “OAE is promising because of the vast surface area of the ocean. This same fact requires careful monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV). Isometric’s protocol requires measurements and the use of internationally recognized ocean models to quantify carbon removal so buyers and suppliers can be sure one credit equals one tonne of carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere. This is another step towards creating trust and transparency in carbon markets.”

Carbon capture efforts have been in the news quite a bit recently, with UC Berkeley chemists inventing a a game-changing material that is far more effective at carbon removal than any current non-ocean solutions.

With so much investment in carbon removal efforts, scientists are clearly coming up with innovative ways to tackle climate change.