Marine Geoengineering: Australian Legislation

[Robert Tulip]

https://theconversation.com/new-australian-laws-for-engineering-the-ocean-must-balance-environment-protection-and-responsible-research-209036

The Australian Labor government has introduced a bill to regulate “marine geoengineering” – methods to combat climate change by intervening in the ocean environment.  The bill would prohibit listed marine geoengineering activities without a permit.

 

https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/committees/reportrep/RB000131/toc_pdf/Inquiryintothe2009and2013amendmentstothe1996ProtocoltotheConventiononthePreventionofMarinePollutionbyDumpingofWastesandOtherMatter,1972(LondonProtocol).pdf

Parliamentary Report of Inquiry into the London Protocol

 

 

Regards

 

Robert Tulip

[Adrian Hindes]

Although the Conversation article mentions marine cloud brightening, the parliamentary inquiry itself does not mention MCB by name. Although they do use the term "geoengineering", they only appear to refer to various CDR methods like ocean iron fertilization and geological sequestration. 

Certainly an interesting (and hopefully fruitful) development regarding CDR regulation. But I suppose we'll have to wait and see if anything further comes out more specifically on solar geoengineering like MCB. Given we're already running engineering field trials for protecting the Great Barrier Reef with MCB, I'm surprised it wasn't mentioned at all in the inquiry.