By Abdullahi Lukman
Canadian firm Planetary Technologies has abandoned its controversial carbon removal experiment in St. Ives Bay after sustained public backlash and environmental concerns, marking another failed attempt at ocean-based geoengineering.
The project, which involved releasing magnesium hydroxide into the ocean to increase alkalinity and absorb carbon dioxide, was suspended following pressure from local residents, scientists, and advocacy groups.
Critics warned that the experiment posed risks to marine life and lacked proper community engagement and regulatory oversight.
Despite receiving funding from the UK government and billionaire Elon Musk, Planetary Technologies faced growing scrutiny over the project’s scientific basis and ethical grounding. Local campaigners accused the company of bypassing the Environment Agency and failing to provide adequate information to the public.
“We’re celebrating common sense – for Cornwall, for seals, for safe seas, and for livelihoods,” said Sue Sayer, MBE, Founder of the Seal Research Trust. “If you want to do something in Cornwall, you need to do it properly – with communities involved from the very start.”
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Senara Wilson Hodges, coordinator of Keep Our Seas Chemical Free, echoed those concerns: “We found out the design of their experiment was shoddy, its financing unethical, and they were profoundly ignorant about the marine ecosystem of our bay.”
The project’s collapse adds to a growing list of halted geoengineering experiments worldwide, including the Arctic Ice Project, the Alameda cloud brightening trial, Harvard’s SCoPEx project, and the shutdown of Running Tide.
Experts and advocacy groups have pointed to serious legal and environmental risks posed by such untested technologies.
Mary Church, Geoengineering Campaign Manager at the Center for International Environmental Law, described the outcome as a “huge victory for the local community,” adding that marine geoengineering could threaten ecosystems and violate human rights.
Coraina de la Plaza, from the Hands Off Mother Earth! (HOME) Alliance, called it a “monumental victory” for grassroots activism. “Geoengineering approaches only distract from real climate solutions. This great victory reflects the power of communities.”
The company has not indicated whether it will pursue similar experiments elsewhere. Meanwhile, environmental groups continue to call for stronger international regulation to prevent unproven and high-risk geoengineering projects from moving forward without public consent.
