From the Toronto Star, an example of holier than thou environmentalism in the name of carbon sequestration.
Environmental controversy erupts on Canada’s Pacific coast
Environment reporter
The Pacific Ocean, just off Canada’s west coast, has a new suspect ingredient: 100 tonnes of iron sulphate.
An American entrepreneur with a controversial past in geoengineering dumped the iron dust into the Pacific near the Haida Gwaii islands in July after allegedly telling local villagers that the “experiment” was a salmon restoration project, according to ETC Group, an international environmental watchdog with offices in Canada.
Russ George, a U.S. businessman, “blatantly violated” two international moratoria when he dumped the iron dust, Jim Thomas of ETC told the Star on Monday — a UN convention and the London Convention on the disposal of wastes at sea.
“There are very clear international agreements that there is (to be) no ocean fertilization,” he said. “Except if the permit (is) granted in very limited set of circumstances. It didn’t happen in this case.”
Ocean iron fertilization — a highly controversial practice — means stimulating plankton blooms in open water, which then seize carbon from the atmosphere and, on sinking to the bottom of the ocean, store it away. Earlier experiments, about a dozen mostly done by universities, have shown mixed results.
George did not respond to requests for comment from the Star but told the Guardian the two moratoria are a “mythology” and do not apply to his project.
Full story here http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1272022–environmental-controversy-erupts-on-canada-s-pacific-coast
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Right, he’s “saving the planet” and who needs rules for that?
h/t to WUWT reader Martyn Jones
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I wonder how that alters the opacity of the water and what effect that will have on sea surface temperatures.
I’m curious. What was the eqivalent illustration of chlorophyll incidence in, say, July – before the area was seeded? Anyone know?
“Coming up next: environmentalists that proactively start depopulating their country.”
As long as they START with themselves . . . .
Applying the same level of myoptic, single parameter, faux science used in AGW can only result in disaster from unintended consequences….or maybe fully intended. The Mellon owned Aluminum Corp of America need to dispose of carcinoganic Fluoride by-product. They funded Dr H Trendley Dean, DDS for a study, then altered the data, created the ADA and began forcing fluoridation in 1931. Taxpayer and water rate payers now pay for pollution to be added to our water.
http://www.realityzone.com/cull1.html
Suspect all agenda driven faux science.
This story has the same aroma as the reports of PETA performing mass euthanasia on animals.
I wonder how this “moratorium” on ocean fertilisation was enacted? Never heard about it before today. Watermelons, I’ll bet. They don’t want higher ocean fish yields.
Let us hope he (and his backers) will be held financially accountable for ALL possible effects and phenomenon which occur in this area. Btw: shouldn’t a spill clean-up order be immediately issued and enforced. It might, create a re-think, on others… so disposed. GK
Juice says:
October 16, 2012 at 7:42 am
It is the way of the warmist. They always create the opposite of what they wanted. Wind power in Europe saves at most 1% of the fuel needed to produce as much power as the wind turbines have in name plate capacity. BUT building wind turbines creates demand for steel, concrete, heavy duty trucks and cranes, wind turbines, electronics, transmission lines AND more fossil fuel power plants.
It’s like Keynesianism on crystal meth.
Guess which of my companies rose by up to 4% today…
It’s my understanding, Fred, that Tides is a front foundation for George Soros, hardly [an] American.
Follow the money!
The intention is for the plankton to absorb carbon dioxide and then sink to the ocean bed – a geoengineering technique known as ocean fertilisation that he (Russ George) hopes will net lucrative carbon credits.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/oct/15/pacific-iron-fertilisation-geoengineering
According to the Guardian, Russ George runs Planktos
Read “Our Commitment”
http://www.planktos-science.com/
Russ George
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russ_george
Company Overview of Planktos Corp
http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=8122254
A serious question, did I miss where they named the treaties and laid out the relevant paragraphs that apply? He claims that the treaties do not apply but I don’t even see where an outside observer would even know what they were. Furthermore, you’d think that it would be mentioned that Canada is a party to the treaties if they were.
Do they really call this journalism these days?
ann r says:
October 16, 2012 at 11:21 am
“It’s my understanding, Fred, that Tides is a front foundation for George Soros, hardly and American.”
Tides is a money launderer; anyone can donate to Tides and earmark to which organisation the money shall be sent; leaving the actual donor untraceable.
Well, there is a million dollars that the Haida Gwaii will never see again. Do not forget that they are located in a remote area, and can ill afford to lose that money.
In many ways what this businessman has done is similar to what many climate scientists are doing. One breaks the rules for the greater good. The others manipulate, adjust past temperatures without justification, distort and lie for the greater good. It’s called the Messiah Syndrome.
Am I the only one to weep for all the SUVs that could have been produced by all that iron?
Good heavens! Is the OCEAN ANEMIC? FeSO4 is commonly the form of the “iron supplements” that people eat. (Just make sure you have some FOOD in your stomach so you don’t burn it through…
There is a great resource of information on U.S. Interests supporting Canadian “environmental” activists here:
http://fairquestions.typepad.com/rethink_campaigns/
“According to my preliminary calculations, since 2000 USA foundations have poured $300 million into the environmental movement in Canada”
Russell Cook (@questionAGW) says:
October 16, 2012 at 8:43 am
“What would be ironic is if all the salmon in the area ate up the iron dust and became healthier and robust beyond belief, due to a previously undetected iron deficiency.”
And easy to catch. Instead of a baited hook or some fancy-schmancy lure, just tie a magnet on the end of your line. Let’s all go fishing!
P.S. I predict a new world record weight salmon will be caught soon. All that iron, don’tcha know.
If you’re an ‘Environmentalist” , you can just dump your rubbish anywhere and get away with it without penalty. It’s all about their Holy Mission of saving the Planet by destroying the Planet.
They could have done something really useful with all that Iron Oxide by recycling it instead!
The inquisition tortured and killed millions? Millions? Really? Hyperbole needs to be left out of these discussions. When you get something that basic wrong, it brings into question everything that follows.
My worry for geo-engineering solutions such as this one is that the people who back them fail to fully analyse what some of the feedback mechanisms could be. Some of the dangers of ocean Fe-fertilising is that the fertilisation is changing the natural environment in which the local biology thrives.
Increasing levels of Fe could lead to an increase in the phytoplankton size, therefore changing the natural food web structure in the area. It may also lead to blooms of toxic phytoplankton and, perhaps the formation of an oxygen deficient area because of the subsequent increased decomposition.
Surely the risks of messing with the ocean biome and the natural food web are not worth it?
The er, irony is that titanium pigment and zinc producers used to dispose waste iron sulfates at sea for much of the 20thC before ceasing due to environmental pressure and finally to the international London Convention.
Maybe the global warming we’ve seen since the ’80’s is due to them stopping. (only somewhat /sarc)
Planktos-science.com says, “One unexpected but most significant consequences of our burning fossil fuels, and adding hundreds of billions of tones of CO2 to the atmosphere, is the diminishment of natural dust in the wind. … By mimicking natural dust deposition we restore and replenish small amounts of the natural iron rich (hematite) dust our human activities have denied the oceans. Iron is a critical micronutrient needed, in incredibly tiny amounts, by phyto-plankton for photosynthesis. The amount of natural wind-borne iron-carrying dust from arid lands has fallen dramatically, 30% over the past 30 years alone. This has resulted in massive declines in plankton biomass that the science community has been able to measure with the benefit of the first earth observatory satellites launched in the 1970s. …”
Is there any truth to that? Have elevated CO2 levels somehow reduced the amount of dust blowing into the oceans, and, if so, how?
I just heard an interesting piece from CBC’s As it Happens tonight concerning this event. Here is the link to today’s episode…
http://www.cbc.ca/asithappens/add-category/2012/10/16/as-it-happens—the-tuesday-edition/
The article is over nine minutes and is titled “Geoengineering Follow.”
Here is the beginning blurb:
“Yesterday on the program, we told you about a controversial geoengineering project off the coast of Haida Gwaii, British Columbia. A hundred tonnes of iron sulfate were dumped into the Pacific, creating an plankton bloom that might — in theory — absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and attract salmon and other marine life to the area.
Critics allege the project contravenes international moratoria on dumping and geoengineering to which Canada is a signatory. But the development corporation behind the project, which is funded by a village on Haida Gwaii, says the benefits are already apparent.
John Disney is the president of the Haida Salmon Restoration Corporation and the economic development officer for the Old Massett Village Council. We reached him in Old Massett, BC.”
Not sure about the complete accuracy of both articles and it seems there is more nuance than what has been reported.
People who consider blowing up children morally acceptable (the infamous 10-10 video) will have no problem with polluting the oceans or doing anything else their self-will desires. They judge themselves by their intentions, not their actions and outcomes. This should not be a surprise.