A Balancing Act: Reassessing Ocean Iron Fertilisation's Status Under International Environmental Law in Conjunction with Algae Biofuel Production

摘要

Wholesale interference with the marine ecosystem is clearly something best avoided, and were OIF attempted on a massive scale and without control measures in place to mitigate negative consequences, an international moratorium on the geoengineering process would be fully justified for that reason. In summary, the risks would outweigh the rewards. However, production of biofuel from OIF-induced algae blooms changes this balance because it removes phytoplankton detritus from the ocean, thereby preventing or reducing many of the anticipated side effects of the process, while providing considerable economic incentive for the development of a clean biofuel that can replace petroleum.