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Carbon Dioxide Removal


Ocean Iron Fertilization

Ocean Iron Fertilization is the process of adding iron filings to seawater to stimulate the growth of phytoplankton that absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide. Ocean fertilization seeks to take advantage of the ocean's natural carbon pump, which uses carbon dioxide at the sea surface and incorporates the carbon, via photosynthesis, into biological tissues which can fall or be transported to the deep ocean. Certain areas of the ocean, including the Southern Ocean, have plentiful nutrients but lack iron, a key trace micronutrient that sea plants known as phytoplankton need to grow. So fertilization with iron has been proposed as a means of accelerating the carbon pump and increasing the size of the ocean carbon sink.
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End the Deadlock on Governance of Geoengineering Research

2013
Scholarly Work
Edward A. Parson, David W. Keith
This article addresses the question of whether scientific self-regulation can control small-scale research, or if governmental regulation is needed?

Exploring Negative Territory Carbon Dioxide Removal and Climate Policy Initiatives

2013
Scholarly Work
James Meadowcroft
This article explores the place for carbon dioxide removal in long term climate policy and considers nearer term policy issues.

2013 Amendment to the London Protocol

2013
International Legal Instrument
Contracting Parties to the London Convention and the London Protocol
Resolution LP .4(8) to regulate ocean iron fertilization.

Report of the 35th Consultative Meeting of the London Convention and the Eight Meeting of the London Protocol

2013
International Legal Instrument
Prepared by the International Maritime Organization (IMO)
This report is regarding the proposal to amend the London Protocol to regulate placement of matter for ocean fertilization and other marine geoengineering activities.

Implications of Current Developments in International Liability for the Practice of Marine Geo-engineering Activities

2013
Scholarly Work
Jung-Eun KIM
This paper aims to identify the preventative effect of an international liability regime, in particular, state liability, on ocean iron fertilization activities.

Governing geoengineering research: why, when and how?

2013
Scholarly Work
Lisa Dilling, Rachel Hauser
This paper suggests three areas of concern that any geoengineering governance research framework must respond to: the direct physical risks of the research; the transparency and responsibility in decision; and the larger societal meanings.

Reining in Phaëthon’s Chariot: Principles for the Governance of Geoengineering

2012
Scholarly Work
Adam D.K. Abelkop, Jonathan C. Carlson
This article aims to contribute to the emerging debate about geoengineering by suggesting governance principles and mechanisms, primarily focused on the more invasive techniques of ocean carbon dioxide removal technologies.

Geoengineering a Future for Humankind: Some Technical and Ethical Considerations

2012
Scholarly Work
Rafael Leal-Arcas , Andrew Filis-Yelaghotis
This paper seeks to outline the various contentious issues regarding geoengineering (which here includes ocean fertilization and afforestation) that arise in relation to its ethical, technological, political, and trade-related legal dimensions.

International Legal Challenges Concerning Marine Scientific Research in the Era of Climate Change

2012
Scholarly Work
Alexander Proelss
This paper assesses how ocean fertilization is regulated under the United Nations Convention for the Law of the Sea

Ocean Fertilization for Geoengineering: A Review of Effectiveness, Environmental Impacts and Emerging Governance

2012
Scholarly Work
Phillip Williamson, Douglas W.R. Wallace, Cliff S. Law, Philip W. Boyd, Yves Collos, Peter Croot, Ken Denman, Ulf Riebesell, Shigenobu Takeda, Chris Vivian
This article identifies the arrangements for the international governance of further field-based research on ocean fertilization that are being developed, primarily under the London Convention/London Protocol.

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