Is OIF A Substitute For Emissions Reductions?
Not even close. Even if after many years, OIF was scaled up to take place in all of the regions for which it would be effective, ocean fertilization could at best result in a small fraction of the total CO2 reductions necessary to prevent dangerous climate change. However, even this small fraction may represent one of the largest single potential sources of carbon reductions. It is imperative that society accelerate the pace of energy efficiency and renewable energy efforts. There is no technological solution that will allow humanity to continue to emit carbon dioxide at its present rate without severe consequences. Every potential mitigation technology needs to be explored in parallel. There are no credible suggestions that we are aware of that so-called geoengineering approaches can eliminate the need to reduce CO2 emissions. At best, these approaches can help buy time while emissions reductions are carried out. The nuanced understanding that these mitigation techniques could be comp
