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Developing a comprehensive and synergistic global plan, based upon the use of the vast abundance of the oceanic commons, is explored below.


Description

Summary

Planning for the future is always a challenge due to the lack of control over different contributing factors which shape the future. When such a planning effort is broadened out to encompass our entire planetary needs, the contributing factors become simply blinding in their multidimensional scope.

Medical trauma teams use the triage method to help them focus upon the basic needs of both their patients (i.e. our planetary environmental matrix) and the team (i.e. humanity). This proposal uses the triage perspective in designing a planetary plan.

A short list of planetary triage considerations is offered below. The following list is not in order of priority as they are all top priorities and this list is not exhaustive:

  • Low cost carbon negative biofuel production for each nation
  • Freshwater production on a vast scale
  • Low cost sustainable protein production to reduce pressure on land use and wild catch fisheries
  • Low cost organic fertilizer to replace chemical fertilizer and thus reduce water way nitrification and ozone depletion
  • Room for expansion of human habitation including global warming induced migration
  • Clear and predictable intergovernmental cooperation on global warming mitigation and adaptation with a multigenerational time scale 

 

The IMBECS Protocol Draft attempts to offer a multifaceted STEM based approach to meeting the above list of planetary triage needs. 


 

 

 

 


Category of the Action

Integrated action plan for the world as a whole


What actions do you propose?

A Google Document has been created to address this section/question (see below link) as the extent of the answer(s) goes well beyond the character limits. 

USG Leadership on BECS Governance, Demand/, Conversion and Within Intergovernmental Treaties

Also, the core IMBECS Protocol Draft document expands on many points.


Where will these actions be taken?

Globally


Who will take these actions?

An international team would be recruited to carry out the creation of the IMBECS Foundation and begin detailed design/engineering/testing of the core technology. This phase is relatively straight forward.

Once the IMBECS Foundation has completed its' preliminary work of establishing standards, all nations and their for-profit actors would be welcomed to begin their own IMBECS operations within the gyre of their choosing.

Also, a call would be put out for interested parties which can bring to the project expert level STEM knowledge in the areas of: 

1) Marine engineering 

2) Marine cultivation

3) Wide area marine surface/atmospheric thermal dynamics

4) Benthic science

5) Biochar production

6) Electro Mineral Accretion

7) Olivine

8) etc.

There is a small but growing group of individuals which have conceptual/academic/IP work in this overall STEM field of study. As this is an early stage proposal, the use of the names/organizations would not be appropriate at this time.

Further, this call for collaboration would include international participants to support technology transfer and governance cooperation. Also, civil society level participation in the evaluation of the science/governance would be welcomed. Working with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission would be recommended as the IOC is, to a large extent, the template for the IMBECS Foundation concept.

At the organizational level, a number of actors will be needed to fill a wide range of positions. The organizational chart below gives a basic view of the scope of positions which will need to be recruited for.


What are key benefits?

This is a partial list of the IMBECS Protocol benefits:

  • Oceanic/Atmospheric CO2 Store Reduction Through Large Scale Cultivation of Marine Biomass and Marine Biochar production
  • Wide Area Surface Cooling of Thermally Critical Oceanic Regions
  • Global Scale Production of Organic Food/Feed/Fertilizer/Polymers
  • Vast Scale Production of Freshwater
  • Creation of Mid-Oceanic Wildlife Preserves Supporting Biodiversity and the Protection of Endangered Marine Species 
  • Jobs/Taxes 
  • Global Energy Independence Resulting in a Trans-generational Global Economic Stimulus
  • Accommodations for Environmental/Economic Induced Migration; IMBECS Physical Operations Represent a New Form of 'Real Estate' (with jobs) Usable by Displaced Persons
  • Establishes the First Intergovernmentally Governed Form of Global Carbon Management
  • Reduces Pressure on Wild Catch Fisheries through Significant Expansion of Global Aquaculture
  • Reduces Pressure on Food Crop Conversion to Fuel Crops

 

 


What are the proposal’s costs?

The IMBECS operations are self funding through profits once they begin operations. An initial R&D funding level of $750M is proposed, within the IMBECS Protocol Draft (pg. 17, Sec. 12), as a means to carry out:

1) Routine engineering testing required for establishing engineering and production standards

2) Establishing the IMBECS Foundation and thus national and global governance administration

3) Construction and deployment of a 10 km2 Marine Resources Conversion Research Platform equipped with a Marine Covective Tower (the MBECS commercial scale production platform prototype). 

 


Time line

The initial 1-5 years will be used to establish the production and governance regiments. The focus of this phase is the establishment of the IMBECS Protocol and technology as a global standard for global carbon management and its' associated benefits. 

Within 20 years, it can be expected that significant improvements in many of the 'Triage' areas list above will be fully recognized at both the STEM  and public levels. 

Within 30 years, the IMBECS Protocol and technology would be a well established norm with the global warming (and related issues) under predictable management at the intergovernmental and intergenerational levels.

 


Sub-proposals

1) The IMBECS Protocol: The subject of designing for the governance of geoengineering has multiple similarities with the attempt to design a 'Global Plan' in that both efforts face a profoundly complex matrix of relationships at both the STEM and policy levels. Both efforts, if properly designed and executed, would produce a similar world reality. This proposal attempts to show the synchronistic appeal of focusing upon oceanic based remedies, at both the STEM and governance levels, for a multitude of human and environmental needs.   

2)Electrical Sector GHG Reduction and the IMBECS Protocol The energy sector can be a pivotal actor in a global scale conversion/adaptation to carbon negative biofuels. The purchasing power of that sector would be transformative to any large scale carbon negative biofuel initiative.

3)Industrial GHG Reduction, Sustainable Growth and the IMBECS Protocol With the exception of the FF extraction sector, the IMBECS Protocol puts forth a roadmap which would support all energy using industries in their efforts to support global warming mitigation efforts, as well as increase their level of efficiency with cost effective means and methods.

4) USG Leadership on BECS Demand/Conversion and within Intergovernmental Tr... The USG agencies can play an important role in the IMBECS Protocol initiative as both a potential large scale consumer of carbon negative fuel and that of a supporter of the IMBECS Protocol at the intergovernmental level.

5) Marine BECCS (biofuel) Investment as Carbon Credit for Fossil Fuel Compa... The IMBECS technology will produce a wide spectrum of critical commodities on a global scale. The production of non-biofuel commodities are required to end up with a carbon negative biofuel. This 'US Carbon Price' proposal suggests that all IMBECS commodities, biofuel and non-biofuel, be placed within a common bitcoin like trading basket open to all nations and peoples. Protecting the global environment clearly involves more than just carbon. This proposal offers a highly synergistic approach to addressing multiple mitigation needs.  

6) Branding Carbon Negative Biofuels Through the IMBECS Protocol This proposal recognizes the profound importance of public perceptions and action on such a complex issue as global warming mitigation. As such, the proposal offers thoughts on creating a strong branding effort around the IMBECS effort in general and that of carbon negative fuel specifically. A conceptual glimpse of the "I'M Becks" media campaign is offered.

7) Industrializing the Gyres to Reduce Pressure on Land Use:  Here, the logic of using the oceanic gyres as highly productive regions to reduce damage/pressure on terrestrial resources is offered. We need not just paradigm shifts in our thinking about nature, we need the room needed to be able to exercise the most logical paths to a sustainable world. The gyres offers us enough room.

8) Carbon Negative Biofuels from the Oceanic Gyres; Staying fueled and Savi...:How can CO2 emissions from the transportation sector be reduced? Promote and use Carbon Negative Biofuels. 

9)  Adaptation to Climate Change: FF use induced global damage has 'cooked in' significant biogeochemical changes. The IMBECS Protocol offers one adaptation path.

 

 

 


How do these sub-proposals fit together?

The intergovernmental governance foundation for building a 'Global Plan' needs to be developed in ways which provided transparency and accountability at all levels. The 'Geoengineering Governance' sub-proposal offers a concept which bridges the current/primary intergovernmental environmental protection treaty language with a non-profit organization which mirrors the intent of the treaty language and then acts as the primary responsible global actor for empirical IMBECS related actions.

This phase of development would establish a baseline governance regime which would help insure both transparency and accountability while establishing large scale production of carbon negative fuels and related critical commodities.

With a strong supply of these commodities available to the market, entire industrial sectors and governmental agencies can begin to convert over to carbon negative fuels. The hard to 'decarbonize' sectors/agencies would be a primary targets for conversion. This phase of development is addressed in sub-proposals:  Energy Supply,  Industry and  U.S. Government. 

As the carbon negative biofuels are made available to the general public, the transportation sectors' efforts in GHG reduction would begin to show rapid and measurable improvements. Within the first year of the biofuel being made widely available, affects of the conversion would be noticeable at the layperson/public level, especially in dense urban areas.

The reduction of land based biofuel production, which the IMBECS proposal can encourage, would reduce food crop production conversion to biofuel crops. Thus, an important synergistic affect of the IMBECS proposal is the potential to revert fuel crop lands back to food crops. Such a reversal may reduce food prices.

Although the IMBECS Protocol has been designed using existing treaty language in mind and the STEM is straight forward, the publics' perception and support are fundamental to the early success of the IMBECS Protocol concept. 


Explanation of model inputs

Regrettably, the carbon negative fuel factor is not represented in the available models and I've contacted a few of the individuals in the modeling area who may be able to help in modeling for carbon negative fuels. Carbon negative fuel is a true game/math changer on multiple levels (as are a number of the other IMBECS related benefits). I do need help on the model issue.

 


References

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

For further information, please see the IMBECS Protocol Draft and Author's Notes.