Geoengineering, climate engineering, climate intervention or climate altering technologies - even if new terms are constantly being found, they do not change the fact that has been known for decades: climate modification approaches harbor major risks for environment and society.
The German Environment Agency (UBA) is the enforcement authority for scientific projects in marine geoengineering. Marine geoengineering refers to targeted interventions in the seas to mitigate climate change, such as through methods for CO₂ removal. The legal basis for this is the German “Hohe-See-Einbringungsgesetz” (Article 8 para. 3 HSEG).
The Paris Agreement set the international goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C. To achieve this, it is essential to rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions towards zero. Additional measures are needed to remove CO2 from the atmosphere, such as reforestation. However, UBA advises against betting on untried, risky technologies.
A number of ideas have emerged in recent years for potential interventions in the climate system to counteract global warming. What these so-called geoengineering measures all have in common is that they harbour risks for humans and the environment and can have a global impact. They should therefore also be regulated globally.
Commercial ocean fertilization activities are now subject to an international ban, although certain research activities will be permitted. This was the decision taken by the Parties to the London Protocol on 18 October 2013 and which has now been publicised.
