News

Carbon Credits for Ocean Fertilization are Premature

January 12, 2008

Fei Chai is one of several authors of a forum piece in Science explaining why it is premature to give or sell carbon credits for ocean fertilization.  The idea of those proposing to gain such credits is that the carbon pump can be accelerated by adding inorganic nutrients, including iron.  The efficiency with which such additions remove carbon from contact with the atmosphere and the duration during which the removed carbon stays out of contact with the atmosphere are both poorly known.  Moreover, collateral effects on the ecosystem are not yet well predicted but are likely to be substantial.