The Regulation of Ocean Fertilization and Marine Geoengineering under the London Protocol

The contribution focuses on international law and the regulation of marine geo-engineering. Specifically, it provides an account of the international political and legal responses to ocean fertilization activities on the high seas that have led to the establishment of international control over activities that intend to manipulate the marine environment for the purposes of combatting the effects of climate change. The chapter provides a brief background on the topic of geo-engineering and clarify the meaning of the term as well as the different strategies comprised by this concept, including ocean fertilization. Following an outline of the challenges posed by the absence of a specific international regulatory system and the limits of the international legal framework relevant to ocean fertilization experiments, the chapter provides an analysis of the amendment of the 1996 Protocol to the London Convention, which establishes a global and transparent regulatory mechanism for ocean fertilization and other marine geo-engineering activities.