New initiatives on CO2 capture and storage and marine litter

“OSPAR takes action on climate change and cleans up our beaches”

Carbon capture and storage (CCS)

The OSPAR Commission has taken decisive action towards reducing the negative effects of climate change at this year’s Commission meeting in Ostend by adopting amendments to the Annexes to the Convention to allow the storage of carbon dioxide in geological formations under the seabed. This follows publication last year by OSPAR of reports on ocean acidification, which confirmed that high levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere are changing ocean carbon chemistry at least 100 times faster than at any time in the last 100 000 years, and detailed consideration of technical aspects of CO2 capture and storage (CCS) in geological formations under the seabed. In association with this OSPAR has adopted a Decision to ensure environmentally safe storage of carbon dioxide streams in geological formations and OSPAR Guidelines for Risk Assessment and Management of that activity. The Commission has also adopted a Decision to legally rule out placement of CO2 into the water-column of the sea and on the seabed, because of the potential negative effects.

'I am delighted that the OSPAR Commission has adopted by consensus this package of measures that will both legitimise CCS and, at the same time, safeguard the marine environment. This is the culmination of five years of intensive work led by Norway, the Netherlands, France and the UK and a major achievement providing a template for other marine regions worldwide; OSPAR is also working to monitor the effects of climate change on the seas and this will be an important aspect of our Quality Status Report in 2010.’ said Mr Bob Dekker, Chairman of OSPAR.

The meeting recognised CCS as one important pragmatic approach in the portfolio of measures to tackle the challenges of climate change and acidification. During the meeting a presentation on the International Polar Year by Professor Liz Morris of the Scott Polar Research Institute confirmed CO₂ as the principal forcing mechanism for climate change. Where very long-term storage is achievable, CCS may complement measures to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions at source.

Professor David Johnson, Executive Secretary to the Commission, explained that ‘appropriate regulations are necessary to facilitate CCS as it is a relatively new concept. Careful selection of suitable depleted oil and gas fields and deep saline formations is now necessary in order to reduce the amount of CO₂entering the atmosphere and economic incentives to take up the technology will be needed.’

Some CCS operations are currently carried out. For instance a first application in the North Sea is ongoing on the Sleipner platform where CCS is an integral part of the gas production operation. On the Dutch part of the North Sea an experimental CCS operation is taking place. Some further projects are in the phase of preparation and planning.

OSPAR stresses that CCS is only part of a package of measures needed to reduce CO₂ emissions, that should include conservation of energy (demand restraint), renewables and improved energy efficiency. Detailed discussion at the Commission meeting focused on the need to minimise the risk of leakage over the very long timescales envisaged. As a Regional Seas Convention, OSPAR’s action complements international efforts within the EU and global efforts under the London Protocol.

Marine Litter

At the same time the OSPAR Commission has noted that marine litter is a serious local, national and international issue as recently recognised by the United Nations. Marine litter is causing widespread ecological effects, has a serious negative impact on our coasts, and detrimental economic effects on local coastal communities worldwide, including in the North-East Atlantic region. The problems caused by marine litter have been a longstanding issue within OSPAR and the North Sea Ministerial Conferences. Thus, marine litter has been discussed at a high political level and included in declarations and statements from several ministerial meetings.OSPAR recognises that there is still a need to make progress internationally on development and implementation of programmes and measures to reduce the input of marine litter from its many sources, as well as the remediation of existing litter in the coastal and marine environments.

This meeting of the OSPAR Commission made significant progress in addressing the environmental problems of marine litter:

1. OSPAR finalised a comprehensive Pilot Project Report on Monitoring Marine Beach Litter in the OSPAR maritime area. This has been a 6-year project involving 9 countries, co-ordinated by Sweden, for which there was previously no standardised survey method;
2. OSPAR agreed on a new OSPAR Marine Beach Litter Programme led by the Netherlands and Belgium involving voluntary surveys by Contracting Parties 3-4 times annually on nominated reference beaches;
3. OSPAR adopted guidelines on ‘Fishing for Litter’ building on pioneering work by KIMO International;
4. OSPAR welcomed future co-operation with the United Nations Environment Programme that will provide an opportunity to help develop global and harmonised guidelines for the monitoring and assessment of coastal and marine litter.

Mr Michael Kyramarios from the Federal DG Environment in Belgium concluded on both issues

‘It has been a pleasure to host this very important meeting. Belgium shares the concern of other OSPAR Contracting Parties with respect to finding solutions to significant problems. The measures agreed this week are further steps in putting sustainable development into practice.’

ENDS

Notes for editors

[1] The OSPAR Commission was set up by the 1992 OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic, which unified and up-dated the 1972 Oslo and 1974 Paris Conventions. It brings together the governments of Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, together with the European Community.

[2] The amendment of the OSPAR Convention paves the way for new types and large scale CCS operations. As an example, CO2 that is currently emitted from energy plants or heavy industries, and of which more than 50% inevitably ends up in the world’s oceans, could be captured, transported offshore, by pipeline or ship, to an offshore installation. OSPAR has set standards for a mechanism to minimize the risks associated with the storage of CO2. With these standards, the marine environment is effectively protected from CO2 that would have ended up in the oceans through emission from energy generation or industry, as well as from CO2 escaping geological formations where CO2 will be stored.

[3] Associated background reports are available on www.ospar.org, for example:

• Effects on the marine environment of ocean acidification resulting from elevated levels of CO₂in the atmosphere, published in 2006 (ISBN: 978-1-905859-23-8)

• Placement of CO₂ in Subsea Geological Structures, published in 2006 (ISBN: 978-1-905859-22-1)

• OSPAR Pilot Project on Monitoring Marine Beach Litter, to be published in July 2007 (ISBN: 978-1-905859-45-0)

• Background Report on Fishing-for-litter Activities in the OSPAR Region, published in 2007(ISBN: 978-1-905859-64-1).

[4] International Polar Year is a large scientific programme focused on the Arctic and the Antarctic from March 2007 to March 2009 Organised through the International Council for Science (ICSU) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), IPY is actually the 4th polar year, following those in 1882-3, 1932-3, and 1957-8. In order to have full and equal coverage of both the Arctic and the Antarctic, IPY 2007-8 covers two full annual cycles from March 2007 to March 2009 and will involve over 200 projects, with thousands of scientists from over 60 nations examining a wide range of physical, biological and social research topics. It is also an unprecedented opportunity to demonstrate, follow, and get involved with, cutting edge science in real-time (www.ipy.org).

[5] UN General Assembly Resolution A/60/L.22 – Oceans and the Law of the Sea (29 November 2005) §65-70 covers a global commitment to tackle marine litter.