CO Capture and Storage - Energy and Climate: How to Achieve a Successful Energy Transition - page 116

In all other cases, existing legislation needs to be adapted unless new
specific rules are adopted, in order to take into account CO 2 geological
storage.
Offshore, underground storage is regulated by the UNCLOS (United
Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) Convention, which defines
general rules, the London Convention (Convention on the Prevention of
Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter, signed in
1972), which deals with the protection of the marine environment and
the OSPAR Convention (Convention for the Protection of the Marine
Environment of the Northeast Atlantic, 1992).
The purpose of these treaties was to protect the marine ecosystem from
possible pollution and they were not specifically taking into account the
storage of CO 2 .
In 2006, an amendment of the London Convention now allows CO 2
injection in underground reservoirs offshore subject to certain conditions
concerning implementation [93].
At the European level, various actions are under way in order to prepare
the future directives which will come into effect to authorise geological
storage projects.
Carbon dioxide geological storage is not yet taken into account in the
carbon trading mechanisms, whereas it seems a prerequisite for its future
development.
This issue is actively discussed within the different competent institu-
tions which are involved, especially within the United Nations (United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change or UNFCC) and
within the European Commission.
Beyond any regulation that might be put in place, a large scale
deployment of CO 2 underground storage requires public acceptance from
people living nearby. This implies the need to carry out investigations to
ensure the complete safety and reliability of underground storage. Good
information and dialogue with local communities are also needed.
Longer term perspectives: mineral sequestration and CO 2
recycling
Mineral sequestration of CO 2 consists of transforming it into a stable
substance through a carbonation reaction with a rock presenting a basic
activity.
The main difficulty stems from the fact that such reactions are com-
paratively slow. Two channels are currently being explored: