Parties to the treaties which regulate the dumping of wastes at sea have reiterated, in a statement, their concern about marine engineering techniques, which have the potential for deleterious effects that are widespread, long-lasting or severe.
As IMO informs, the parties state that such marine geoengineering activities, other than legitimate scientific research, should be deferred. The statement was adopted by the 45th Consultative Meeting of Contracting Parties to the London Convention and the 18th Meeting of Contracting Parties to the London Protocol (LC 45/LP 18), which met 2-6 October 2023.
The statement says that:
- each of the four marine geoengineering techniques prioritized for evaluation has the potential for deleterious effects that are widespread, long-lasting or severe; and
- there is considerable uncertainty regarding their effects on the marine environment, human health, and on other uses of the ocean.
The governing bodies of the London Convention and Protocol reiterate the urgency of the work to evaluate marine geoengineering techniques, against the background of the rapidly growing interest into marine geoengineering techniques and the number and diversity of marine geoengineering projects that have either been conducted, are currently being undertaken or are planned for the future and that in some cases are being driven by commercial interests.
In addition, the governing bodies are of the view that there are risks of adverse environmental impacts of these techniques with limited knowledge of their effectiveness. Activities other than legitimate scientific research should be deferred.
Marine geoengineering techniques include both marine carbon dioxide removal and solar radiation management. Four techniques which are or have been evaluated are
- ocean alkalinity enhancement;
- biomass cultivation for carbon removal;
- marine cloud brightening; and
- surface albedo enhancement involving reflective particles and/or other materials.
