The Intergovernmental Marine Bioenergy and Carbon Sequestration Protocol: Environmental and Political Risk Reduction of Global Carbon Management (The IMBECS Protocol Draft)

Abstract:

The IMBECS Protocol concept employs large cultivation and biorefinery installations, within the five Subtropical Convergence Zones (STCZs), to support the production of commodities such as carbon negative biofuels, seafood, organic fertilizer, polymers and freshwater, as a flexible and cost effective means of Global Warming Mitigation  (GWM) with the primary objective being the global scale replacement of fossil fuels (FF). This governance approach is categorically distinct from all other large scale GWM governance concepts. Yet, many of the current marine related GWM technologies are adaptable to this proposals.

The IMBECS technology would be managed by an intergovernmentally sanctioned non-profit foundation which would have the following functions/mission:

1. Synthesises relevant treaty language
2. Performs R&D activities and purchases relevant patents
3. Under intergovernmental commission, functions as the primary responsible international actorfor environmental standards, production quotas and operational integrity
4. Licence technology to for-profit actors under strict production/environmental standards
5. Enforce production and environmental standards along with production quotas
6. Provide a high level of transparency to all stakeholders
7. Provide legal defence

The IMBECS Protocol is conceptually related to the work found in the following documents/links. This list is not exhaustive:

• Climate Change Geoengineering
• The Science and Politics of Global Climate Change: A guide to the debate
• IPCC Special Report on Renewable Energy and Climate Change Mitigation
• DoE Roadmap for Algae Biofuels
• PodEnergy Ocean Agronomy development leaders and progenitor of this proposal.
• Artificial Upwelling of Deep Seawater Using the Perpetual Salt Fountain for Cultivation of Ocean Desert
• NASAs’ OMEGA study.
• Cool Planet; Land based version of a carbon negative biofuel concept.
• Cellana; Leading developer of algae based bioproducts.
• The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture
• Mariculture: A global analysis of production trends since 1950
• BECCS /Biochar/ Olivine
• UNFCCC/IMO/CBD
• The President’s Climate Action Plan

The conclusion of this analysis calls for funding of an investigational deployment of the relevant technologies for an open evaluation at the intergovernmental level.