Scubaism

Planktos Inc., an American company that focuses on commercial opportunities in the green industry, wants to set sail this month from Florida to dump more than 45 tonnes of iron dust into the sea near the Galapagos Islands in a process called iron fertilization. They expect the iron would stimulate the growth of phytoplankton, which would then absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide — an experimental process Planktos compares to reforestation.

Reading this interview that Treehugger did with David Kubiak the spokesperson of Planktos, I’m not sure they’ve really thought through the consequences of their actions. Kubiak did not address the long term concerns of the EPA with regard to the long term environmental impact of iron fertilization.

For instance, what happens to the food chain with a sudden bloom of plankton? Does anyone have any idea what might happen?

Today, the chief scientist of the WWF International Climate Change Program calls Planktos’ idea “unacceptable”.

According to a summary by the United States Government submitted to the International Maritime Organization, Planktos, Inc. — a for-profit company — will dump up to 100 tons of iron dust this month in a 36 square mile area located approximately 350 miles west of the Galapagos Islands. Planktos, Inc. plans to dump the iron in international waters using vessels neither flagged under the United States nor leaving from the United States so U.S. regulations such as the U.S. Ocean Dumping Act do not apply and details do not need to be disclosed to U.S. entities.