With the support of a network of expert academics and advisors, along with a highly experienced local team, Lestari is leading the development of the social science framework for an exciting coastal carbon capture project in the Caribbean.

Even if all global emission reduction targets were achieved, it is clear that carbon dioxide emissions reductions alone are not going to be sufficient to avert the worst impacts of the burgeoning climate crisis. In response, Project Vesta was founded on Earth Day 2019 to offer an innovative contribution to the global efforts for carbon capture, which supports emission reductions by actively removing carbon from the environment.

 

The project involves spreading a natural and abundant mineral, olivine, onto coastal areas. There, wave action speeds up the carbon dioxide capture process while de-acidifying the ocean. Project Vesta’s approach dramatically accelerates the carbonate-silicate cycle, an ancient natural process. Thirty years of scientific research has demonstrated that this works and has provided strong evidence that it is a highly affordable and scalable solution.

Our research explored how people understand and respond to emerging climate mitigation approaches, emphasising that effective solutions must be shaped and led by local communities. Lestari developed social science, ethics and community engagement frameworks that highlighted the central role of public trust in deploying climate interventions, spanning nature-based to technology-based methods. Across both strands of work, our findings showed that involving residents in planning and decision-making builds local ownership, strengthens legitimacy, and supports more equitable outcomes. We advocated for collaborative processes that bring scientists, policymakers and communities together, addressing not only technical considerations but also the social, ethical and political dimensions at the heart of climate action. 

See our Resources page here for our two peer-reviewed publications from this research collaboration.