The International Maritime Organization has formally acknowledged ocean fertilisation, ocean alkalinity enhancement, and biomass sinking within its new framework. Meanwhile, commercial ventures are already selling removal credits to corporate buyers like JPMorgan Chase while releasing alkaline slurries into natural waterways. Scientists warn that manipulating stressed marine habitats without sufficient testing risks damaging aquatic life, prompting calls for greater public investment into safety regulations.
Key points
Regulators insist that marine geoengineering projects must remain strictly within the res…: Regulators insist that marine geoengineering projects must remain strictly within the research stage for now.
Rapid commercialization funded by corporate carbon credits is outpacing scientific consen…: Rapid commercialization funded by corporate carbon credits is outpacing scientific consensus regarding marine ecosystem safety.
Independent researchers want increased public funding to establish enforceable safety sta…: Independent researchers want increased public funding to establish enforceable safety standards before widespread commercial deployment.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
A cluster of candy cane-striped smoke stacks dots the horizon of Tufts Cove in Nova Scotia, Canada. Deep in the briny depths of Halifax harbour, something huge is happening: the ocean is being engineered to remove atmospheric carbon.
“This is what Mother Nature has done naturally for a few billion years in order to rebalance the atmospheric and ocean chemistry over long timescales,” says Dr Greg Rau, co-founder and senior scientist at Planetary Technologies.
Planetary Technologies is an ocean carbon-removal firm and one of a growing number of companies attempting to decrease excess atmospheric carbon – the main driver of the climate crisis – by speeding up naturally occurring carbon cycles in the ocean.
To do this, the company conducts ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE), adding a chalk-like substance to the seawater, which allows the water to absorb and store more atmospheric carbon than usual.
This process also helps to offset ocean acidification, often called the “evil twin” of the climate crisis, which is increasing dramatically.
Because it relies on an already occurring process, proponents say these technologies will not harm…
Rapid urban expansion without adequate infrastructure has left impoverished districts near Panama's capital overwhelmed by uncollected refuse, triggering severe disease outbreaks and widespread coastal pollution. The resulting environmental degradation threatens critical marine habitats and millions of migratory birds as plastic waste washes into the Pacific Ocean. In response, state officials have intervened with emergency measures, though non-governmental organizations still perform much of the hands-on cleanup…
Addressing leaders at the COP31 summit, environmental campaigner Greta Thunberg directed blame at global decision-makers for perpetuating environmental collapse. She cautioned that failing to alter current practices will trigger devastating humanitarian and ecological disasters worldwide. Her intervention underscores the severe, multifaceted fallout facing communities if existing power structures continue on their current path.
The historic Plains property served as an agricultural base and personal retreat where the former president worked alongside his father and managed operations following his naval service. Acquired by the Conservation Fund, the tract will eventually transition into public ownership to preserve critical regional ecosystems. This permanent protection honors the former president's longstanding commitment to conservation by returning his ancestral acreage to a natural state.