Concerns raised about ocean fertilisation for carbon credits.

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Proposals by private companies to boost artificially the oceans' capacity to absorb C[O.sub.2] and thus generate carbon credits have been met with opposition from environment groups, scientists and international agencies.

The companies are planning to dump huge quantities of fertiliser--iron or nitrogen-rich urea--over large areas of ocean to stimulate the growth of C[O.sub.2]-consuming phytoplankton, the microscopic floating plant cells at the base of the oceanic food chain.

Australian company Ocean Nourishment Corporation (ONC) is seeking approval from the Philippine Government to proceed with plans to spread 500-1000 tonnes of urea granules in the Sulu and Celebes Seas. The company claims this will mimic natural nutrient upwellings that cause phytoplankton blooms, increasing C[O.sub.2] uptake and boosting fish stocks.

Greenpeace South-East Asia and other environmental groups have warned that the project could suffocate marine life, permanently change ecosystems and reduce, rather than increase, regional fish stocks.

Earlier, US-based Planktos announced plans to spread iron ore dust over 10 000 square kilometres of ocean west of the Galapagos Islands.

Many scientists have expressed concern about large-scale ocean fertilisation, with one group proposing a moratorium on selling carbon offsets unless companies can demonstrate the process effectively removes C[O.sub.2], retains that carbon in the ocean for a quantifiable amount of time, and has acceptable and predictable environmental impacts. (1)

The World Conservation Union (IUCN) and Parties to the London Convention and London Protocol--the international agreements that regulate dumping of wastes and other matter at sea--have also weighed into the debate, stating that 'given the present state of knowledge regarding ocean fertilisation, such large-scale operations are currently not justified'. (2)

(1) Buesselor KO et al. (11 January 2008). Ocean iron fertilization--moving forward in a sea of uncertainty. Science 319 (5860): 162.

(2) http://www.iucn.org/en/news/archive/2007/11/ 20_pr_climate_change.htm