Climos Issues Statement On Recent Activity Regarding Ocean Iron Fertilization
SAN FRANCISCO, California (May 30, 2008) -- ClimosTM issued the following Statement today:
At the 29th Consultative Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the London Convention (LC) in November 2007,
the Parties adopted a Statement of Concern on Ocean Iron Fertilization (OIF)
and established a scientific working group to address the issue of OIF.
That group convened at the meeting of the
LC Scientific Group (SG) in Guayaquil, Ecuador the week of May 19.
The SG and supporting
delegations prepared extensively for its closer review of OIF issues.
At the Guayaquil meeting, ClimosTM presented a detailed briefing on OIF.
The briefing addressed the scientific basis for larger and longer experiments
as suggested by the international scientific community, including previous research results,
responses to the SG’s Statement of Concern, and a description of our plan
in support of an independent scientific research program and demonstration.
In addition, ClimosTM reviewed for delegates its anticipated near term activities,
including the development of a detailed Environmental Impact Assessment of OIF by a
major environmental consulting and engineering firm to be released later this year.
We also provided a detailed response to Greenpeace's critique of OIF that had been
released in the intersessional period since the Statement of Concern.
(This is available for download at www.climos.com)
ClimosTM understands that the LC will release a report on the deliberations of
the Guayaquil SG meeting on OIF in the near future. This report will reflect the
group’s science-based review of the LC’s prior Statement of Concern and further scientific
considerations for OIF activities. The SG report is intended to be a key element in the policy
discussions on OIF during the next full LC meeting in October 2008. ClimosTM looks forward to
continuing to work with the relevant expert bodies under the London Convention as
they develop their review of OIF and related issues.
With regard to the recent decision adopted by the
Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD),
although we have not seen a final version of the decision,
we understand that it acknowledges the ongoing consideration of OIF
by the LC over the last year, including its interaction with prominent
members of the international ocean science community. We further
understand that the CBD statement calls for additional scientific research,
a precautionary approach and appropriate regulatory controls for OIF activities --
objectives that have been shared by ClimosTM since its inception.
ClimosTM agrees that OIF activities should proceed only where there is an
adequate scientific basis to justify them, including assessing associated
risks, and should be subject to an appropriate regulatory framework including
any permits required pursuant to the IMO LC process. ClimosTM encourages the
LC to develop regulatory guidelines to help assess and control future OIF
activities. Moreover, as we have previously stated, no sale of carbon credits
from OIF projects should take place unless those projects are shown to be effective
and the environmental impacts understood. ClimosTM looks forward to interacting with
the CBD parties and the SBSTTA to develop and share relevant scientific and technical
data relating to these issues, including the information developed as part of the
scientific review under the LC process.
About ClimosTM
ClimosTM is a company dedicated to removing carbon from the
atmosphere. Founded in California's Silicon Valley by entrepreneurs Dan
Whaley and Richard Whilden, ClimosTM scientific research is overseen by
Dr. Margaret Leinen, former Assistant Director, Geosciences at the
National Science Foundation (NSF). ClimosTM is guided by a Scientific
Advisory Board that includes some of the world's experts in ocean,
earth and climate science.
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