Exporting CO2 for Sub-Seabed Storage: The Non-Effective Amendment to the London Dumping Protocol and Its Implications

摘要

The vast amounts of fossil fuels available and the forecasts regarding their future utilisation can make carbon capture and storage/sequestration (CCS) an attractive option, despite the various challenges associated with the technology. In order to be viable, many CCS projects will have to be transboundary, in the sense that CO2 will be stored in a country other than from where it was captured. The most attractive, or even the only available, storage option is often offshore. However, export of CO2 for sub-seabed storage is prohibited as dumping by the 1996 London Protocol. An amendment to the Protocol that enables export was adopted in 2009, but is unlikely to enter into force. The article analyses the implications of this situation and explores possible options for States that see export of CO2 for sub-seabed storage as an important policy option.