CCS and the Environment

Plymouth Marine Laboratory, UK

                                                               

                                                                                                        

                                          

UKCCSC Workshop, Nottingham, 17-18 April 2007

UKCCSC Meeting April 2007 Nottingham

Theme 3 CCS and the Environment

C.1 Marine Ecosystem Models Blackford, (PML)Marine system models to quantify and predict ecosystem affects of acidification.

C.2 Laboratory Mesocosms Widdicombe, (PML)Investigate impact on biodiversity, animal health, bioavailability and speciation of contaminants

C.3 Natural Analogues Rees, (PML) and in collaboration with Theme B Investigate potential analogues to determine relevance of natural seepage and seek funding if appropriateC.4 Scientific Literature Turley (PML), Colls (Nottingham) Access all appropriate scientific informationC.5 Field experiments Colls (Nottingham)Identify responses to terrestrial leaksC.6 Socio-economics Austen (PML) and in collaboration with Theme D Environmental/society interaction and policy implicationsC.7 Networking Turley (PML) and Colls (Nottingham) Facilitate internal and external information exchange including policy makers

           

UKCCSC Meeting April 2007 Nottingham

Theme 3 CCS and the Marine Environment

C.7 Networking Turley (PML) Facilitate internal and external information exchange including policy makers

C.6 Socio-economics Austen (PML) Environmental/society interaction and policy implications

           

Informing UK Agencies, NGOs etc …….

Workshop on Ocean Acidification for UK Agencies, Government and NGOs, 28 January 2005 at EN HQ

Presentation to EN (now Natural England) Council March 2006

Dan Laffoley Chair of IMCO2 RUG 2005-2007– major buy in

Evidence to EA – on OA and CCS 2006

EA workshop via Andrew Wither on “Global and local impacts of Ocean Acidification” 2007

WWF, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, E3G, Bellona Foundation

Whale and Dolphin Conservation SocietyMarine Conservation Society Annual ConferenceInternational Whaling Commission

NGOs

Conservation Societies

Presentation at the ADCC Symposium at the Met Office, Exeter 1-2 February 2005 + Publication

Engaging the Climate Change Policy Community …….

Presentation at Climate Change & Governance Conference, New Zealand, March 2006. Key note + Publication in CONFRONTING CLIMATE CHANGE 2006

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

Presentation at UNFCCC Twenty-Second Sessions of the Subsidiary Bodies and seminar of governmental experts, Bonn May 2005

Evidence to the Stern Report on Economic of Climate Change

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

• Assesses scientific, technical and socio-economic information

• Relevant for the understanding of climate change

• Assesses its potential impacts • Assesses options for adaptation

and mitigation • Last reported in 2001, new

report in 2007 – will help drive new framework on climate change i.e. post Kyoto.

• Lead Author of marine section for WGII, Ch4 “Ecosystems”

• Ocean acidification included in the new report – a first for IPCC!

www.ipcc.ch

2007

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Engaging the Energy Mitigation Community …

• Towards a Sustainable Energy Economy (TSEC a UKRC funded programme)

UK Carbon Capture and Storage Consortium (UKCCSC)

PML TSEC project funded, PML leads the Environment Theme and is a member of the Senior Management Team

• UK Energy Research Council (UKERC) keynote

• EPSRC Energy Programme Science Advisory Group

• UKRC 2007 SR bid on Energy

Future funding?

IMCO2 Evidence into Laws for Protection of Our Oceans.....

Evidence at OSPAR Workshop on the environmental impact of placement of carbon dioxide in geological structures in the maritime area, Trondheim, 26-27 October 2004.

OSPAR Biodiversity Committee Intercessional corresponding group convened by Norway and the UK to review Effects of Ocean

Acidification in OSPAR area. “OSPAR report on Ocean Acidification “ 2006UN International Maritime

OrganizationSeminar on CO2 Sequestration in Geological

Structures, for the London Convention, DTI Conference Centre, London, 20 May 2005

Evidence at IMO, London Convention Science Group and contribution to the Senior Team report on CCS 25 May 2005

Evidence at IMO, London Convention Science Group Intersessional Technical Working Group on CO2 sequestration April 2006

OA used as a key driver for changes to The London Protocol considered CCS and highest legal barrier removed. CCS legal from February 2007. OSPAR predicted to follow suite.

Working with Government Departments….

Annual Report Card December 2006: section on ocean acidification supplied by PML - www.mccip.org.uk/arc

GECC (Global Environmental Change Committee): presentation, report, questionnaire on research needs 2006

Dti: request for information on CCS (via OSPAR & London Convention)

Defra: requests for information on CCS and OA (Marine and Global Atmosphere Divisions)

Working and Informing UK Government…..

Government initiatives as part of the UK Presidency of the EU and G8:

•ADCC symposium and book launch

•Climate Change Workshop “Tipping Points in the Earth System”, British Embassy, Berlin.

•A shared Resource – Carbon capture and storage in the North Sea. British Embassy, Norway

•Written evidence at request of defra for input into G8 & Montreal

Evidence to Government reviews:

•e.g. Stern Review on Economics of Climate Change, Treasury Review of CCS, Marine Bill

Presentations to Government Ministers and Civil Servants:

•e.g. Elliot Morley, Linda Gilroy, Howard Dalton, David Warrilow, John Roberts

Informing Parliament ….

• Poster on CCS at “Set for Britain” meeting, Houses of Parliament, March 2006

• Responding to Parliamentary Questions e.g. PQ 0765 05/06 by Normal Baker PML response by Mr Morley

• Parliamentary & Scientific Committee, Westminster, presentation on SOA, 23 October 2006 + publication in Parliamentary Journal.

• 30th January 2007: PMSP breakfast reception in the House of Commons

Informing the EU….

Turley, Hawkins & Reid. Seminar on Impact of Climate Change and Ocean Acidification, Brussels 13 December 2004 to DG Environment

Laffoley, Turley & Greenaway. Lunchtime seminar on Climate change, surface ocean acidification and their impacts on European seas 2006 to Heads of DGs

FP7 Call on December 2006:

•Specific consortium on Ocean Acidification•OA mentioned throughout the call

= lots of funding opportunities

EU presentation on OA: FP7 Advisory Group of Experts, 30 July 2006

Plus much lobbying by others …………………

Public Understanding – Books, Articles and Art

• Ship: The Art of Climate Change, at the Natural History Museum (Artists Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey)

• Stanford University Climate Change and Policy Book, chapter on marine ecosystems

• Climate Change children's book on Global Warming, Susie Hodge

• Global Pollution in a series called Science Behind the Headlines. Published by Tick Tock Media for children

• Review chapter on OA in Climate Change Book by Fred Pearce

• Loads of media coverage

• PML PhD studentships – 70-80% of applicants wanted to work on aspects of ocean acidification (100% of the short listed candidates) – shows outreach excellent!

•Crystallized whale skeleton:Cape Farewell Project

POLICYINFORMATION

FLOW

Research Scientists

LaboratoryDirectors

Directors of ResearchCentres

Directorsof ResearchCouncils

GovernmentScientificAdvisor

GovernmentDepartments/Agencies

SCIENCE ENVIRONMENTALECONOMICS

Pressure & LobbyGroups e.g. NGOs

National andInternational

Expert Groups

Misconstrued

Misinterpreted

Generalization

Quality loss

Loss of context

Probabilitiesbecame facts

Media, Public & www

Strategy: Information Flow to Policy Makers - a multi-pronged approach

UK EU International

Reference User Group

Involving the User Community in the Science…….

The PML Reference User Group (RUG) for High CO2:

Government Depts: DEFRA, DTI, SE

Government Agencies: EN/NE, EA, UKCIP, SNH

Industry: BP

NGOs: WWF, Greenpeace, E3G

Europe: EEA

Independents: BGS, The Royal Society

Chair: Dan Laffoley - Natural England & IUCN WCPA

Stakeholder Analysis of Sub Seabed Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Nicola Beaumont and Mel Austen, Plymouth Marine Laboratory

Details•½ day •Reference User Group (RUG) participation•Agreed ‘rules’ of stakeholder analysis ( previously circulated) to ensure absolute security to talk freely •RUG divided to two groups •Encouraged to discuss and arrive at an agreed response to a questionnaire to explore:–Stakeholder perceptions of additional risks or benefits–Which impacts are most significant–Ability of stakeholders to agree on acceptability of potential environmental impacts

Purpose to improve understanding of stakeholder perceptions of potential marine environmental impacts associated with sub seabed geological CCS.

Key Perceptions

•CCS is part of the UK’s low carbon emission toolkit for the future

•Small-scale (10m2), low-frequency environmental impacts are acceptable

•CCS should be implemented straight away although parallel research into the impacts should continue

•More research into potential impacts was required:likelihood of different physico-chemical scenarios i.e. probabilities of impact/leak temporal and spatial scale of impact (how much leakage, how often, dispersion) realism of physico-chemical models

Under these scenarios need to know organism/ecosystem impacts and the scales at which they take place recovery potential cumulative effects of impact realism of ecosystem models

•Regulation and monitoring could be safely undertaken by government and industry over short and long time scales

On-line Events and the WWW.

Web article in climate change debate on www.opendemocracy.net

•Live World Ocean Web Caste on SOA 13 November 2006•14-18 yr olds from around the world•Presentations by experts•Q & A•Text dialogue http://www.thew2o-events.net/oa.php

search hits on “ocean acidification”:October 2003 = 17 June 2006 = 267,000January 2007 = 321,000