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Russ George
George in 2007
Born6 December 1949
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)businessman, entrepreneur[citation needed]
Known forPresident CEO Founder Planktos Inc. and Planktos Corp., Founder managing director KlimaFa, Founder Haida Climate[1]
Websiterussgeorge.net

Russ George (Darcy Russel George; born 6 December 1949) is an American businessman and entrepreneur best known for founding the San Francisco–based firm Planktos Inc. which claims to "restore ecosystems and slow climate change".[2][3][4] In 2007 he provided testimony to the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming.[1] The ecorestoration treeplanting company he founded in Canada in 1973 originally called Coast Range has planted upwards of 250 million trees.[citation needed] In the 90s, he founded several companies conducting cold fusion research.

He used to be member of Greenpeace and was part of the crew of the Rainbow Warrior, though by 2012 he and Greenpeace were adversarial.[5] He has attracted media attention for his company's large-scale geoengineering experiments; the first, an attempt to perform an iron-fertilization project off the coast of the Galapagos Islands in 2007, was stopped by governments and environmentalists. A UN moratorium on iron fertilization was passed as a result. In 2012, he dumped 100 tonnes of iron-rich dust into the ocean of British Columbia through the company Haida Salmon Restoration Corporation, resulting in a government investigation.[6]

Career

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Cold fusion and ventures

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In the late 1980s, Russell embraced the idea of near limitless energy from the fusion of atoms after hearing of the Fleischmann–Pons experiment.

Shortly after, in 1989, Darcy Russ George and Ronald A. Brightsen founded Clustron Science Corp. in Order to conduct experiments regarding cold fusion.

In 1998, Russ George founded Saturna Technologies and eWorld Travel Corp. an Internet Travel Service Company, which was renamed to GYK Ventures Inc. in 2002, then renamed a second time to Diatom Corp. in 2005.[7]

In March 2005, he incorporated a company named D2Fusion Inc. which would supposedly produce and sell fusion-powered heating devices.

He founded the San Francisco–based firm Planktos Inc. which claims to "restore ecosystems and slow climate change".[2][3][4]

In August 2005, George sold Planktos Inc. and D2Fusion Inc. to a Vancouver-based company named Solar Energy Ltd. for a stated value of $1.5 million and $2 million respectively.[8]

In 2007 he provided testimony to the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming.[1]

Planktos iron dissolving attempt (2007)

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Main article: Iron fertilization

After Solar purchased Planktos Inc. from George in 2005, it sold it another company named Diatom Corp., with Planktos renamed to Planktos Corp. to reflect this acquisition. The name change became effective March 7, 2007.[8] In May 2007, Planktos Corp. announced their plans to dissolve 100 tons of iron over a 10 000 square kilometer area on the high seas near the Galápagos Islands,[9][10] the first of six planned large-scale operations Planktos was planning to conduct in the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean from 2007 to 2009.[11] The intent was to profit by fertilizing the ocean with iron dust, creating blooms of phytoplankton that in theory would absorb carbon dioxide. The business plan was then to sell carbon offset credits to other companies.[12] These plans caught the attention of the several NGOs, the first of which was the eco-justice ETC Group, which raised alarm about the large-scale geoengineering project.[11] This in turn caused other organizations to take notice of Planktos Corp. In the middle of June 2007, Sea Shepherd UK published a statement that one of their vessels would be able to monitor movements of any Planktos vessels and intercept them if necessary. The organization also stated that they were investigating the possibility of criminal charges against Planktos Inc.[13]

The start of the operation was delayed by almost three months due to supply delays, but finally, on November 5, 2007, the Planktos-owned, US-registered vessel Weatherbird II set sail, departing from Fort Lauderdale for an unknown location.

Unbeknownst to the organizations attempting to put a halt to these operations, a change of plans had taken place, and instead of heading for Galápagos, the vessel set course on the Bermudas for a refueling stop, intending to cruise across the Atlantic and conduct the operation near the Canary Islands instead in order to avoid confrontation with the Sea Shepherds.[14] Much to the surprise of Sea Shepherds, on November 14, 2007, the vessel appeared in the harbor of St. Georges, where it refueled as planned. At this point, the vessel had no iron dust aboard, with Planktos attempting to obtain the required iron for the experiment dust from ground-up metal scrap instead, contradicting earlier claims of using virgin iron dust in the experiment as well as leading to concerns whether the iron used would be contaminated by oils or impurities.[15] Two days later, the vessel departed for the Canary Islands. The vessel was denied port entry in the Canary Islands by local authorities in December 2007, after which the vessel spent several days drifting about before heading northwards to the island of Madeira.[16] Several days later, the company announced to wind down its business due to “unanticipated events in the Canary Islands”.

On February 13, 2008, the company announced that funds had run dry and all operations were being postponed indefinitely.[12] In March, the Weatherbird II was sold to an oil exploration interest.[7][17] 

A UN moratorium on iron fertilization was passed as a result of the attempted experiment.[6]

Haida Salmon Restoration Corporation experiment (2012)

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George was CEO and chief scientist of the Haida Salmon Restoration Corporation (HSRC), which was formed when the Haida village of Old Massett invested $2.5 million to initiate an iron-fertilization project to boost local salmon populations.[6]

Iron dumping

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According to Wired, in July 2012, "a renegade American businessman," George, "decided to trigger an algae bloom to absorb some carbon dioxide from the atmosphere—an attempt at geoengineering, a tech-based approach to combating climate change." Wired called it "the largest known geoengineering experiment at the time."[18] In 2012, the Haida Salmon Restoration Corporation decided on conducting an 'ocean pasture restoration experiment' by spreading more than 100 tonnes of an iron-rich dirt-like substance over a large area in the Pacific Ocean. Russel George was chosen to act as the lead scientist of this operation.

In July 2012, George departed from Victoria with a crew of 11 on a chartered fishing vessel named the Ocean Pearl, loaded with 100 tons of iron-rich nutrient. The vessel exited the Strait of Juan de Fuca and headed northwards into the Gulf of Alaska until they reached the currents known as the Haida Eddies, approximately 200 miles westward of the coast of Haida Gwaii. The crew spent the next weeks zigzagging the ship over the ocean while mixing the 4 000 50-lb bags of nutrients with seawater and pumping them overboard using a hose before returning to Victoria to take 20 more tons of nutrient aboard to repeat the process in August. As of 2022, this remains by far the largest Iron fertilization operation in history.[4][19] George claimed this resulted in increased growth of phytoplankton over 10,000 square miles.[20][21]

Responses and legality

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Some critics asserted George's actions were illegal[22] while others have argued that they were not.[23][24] Scientists were especially concerned regarding the fact that previous similar experiments, like the EisenEx experiment conducted in November 2009, had shown that fertilizing the ocean with iron in this manner would especially promote the growth of a genus of microalgae known as Pseudo-nitzschia, which in turn produces large quantities of domoic acid, a potentially deadly neurotoxin which accumulates through the food chain.[25] The Canadian Food Inspection Agency reported a significant increase in concentrations of Domoic acid on the northern coast of Haida Gwaii in the latter half of 2012,[26] and citizens of Old Masset reported with unease that the island was hit by the strongest red tides ever seen there.[19] In a blog post, Victor Smetacek of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in Germany, who has done 'ocean pasture restoration' (OPR) experiments, called claims that OPR experiments "may cause harmful algal blooms (HABs)" unfounded, and wrote that a National Academy of Sciences report said OPR would not induce harmful algal blooms in the deep ocean.[27][self-published source]

Critics alleged violations of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the London Convention on the Dumping of Wastes at Sea which contain moratoriums on geoengineering experiments.[3] Parties to the London Convention and London Protocol expressed grave concerns about this experiment.[28] Proponents argued that the experiments were not technically illegal, with Romany M. Webb noting that the CBD's resolution was not legally binding, nor was a then upcoming amendment about OPR to the London Protocol.[29][self-published source] Edward Parson of the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment argued the Haida project did not violate international law, as CBD decisions regarding CBD were purely advisory.[30]

John Disney, president of the Haida Salmon Restoration Corporation, stated in a press conference on October 19, 2012 that the company had "complied with every necessary aspect of the ocean governance before undertaking the work," and that it did "not consider micronutrient replenishment of a naturally occurring substance to be pollution. We are using this for restoration purposes, to restore the salmon back to their rightful place in the Old Massey economy." He also defended George's role as chief scientist, stating that "we approached him" for the role and that the company trusted his science and intent.[31]

Investigation and lawsuit

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In March 2013, search warrants were executed by Environment Canada's enforcement branch to investigate Russ George's office concerning the 2012 iron enrichment test.[32][33] In May 2013, the Haida Salmon Restoration Corporation removed George as a director of the company and ended his employment.[34] Russ George sued the Haida Salmon Restoration Corporation, its directors, and several others in 2014.[35] In a counterclaim the Haida Salmon Restoration Corporation claimed that Russ George lied about his credentials and academic qualifications, assaulted the project leader, and acted in an "irrational, unprofessional and offensive manner".[35] In 2016, Russ George was ordered to pay security for legal costs.[36]

Experiment results

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On July 15, 2014, the oceanographic scientific data gathered during the project was made publicly available under the ODbL license.[37] The experiment did result in an unusually large phytoplankton bloom that lasted at least until September 2012, when it became increasingly difficult to detect as the biomass dispersed into the surrounding waters.[38] In the seas of Southeast Alaska, the relevant area of the experiment, the expected catch of Pink Salmon in 2013 was predicted by salmon experts and managers to be 54 million fish.[39][40] The catch turned out to be 224 million Pinks, the largest catch in Canadian history.[41][42] George has claimed this proves the experiment's success,[43] despite claims that no definitive link between the experiment and the higher levels of the food chain (including salmon) could be determined.[38][44] Research conducted on 13 major iron-fertilization experiments in the open ocean since 1990 determined that the method is unproven; with respect to the Haida Gwaii project, "scientists have seen no evidence that the experiment worked", concluded a 2017 article in Nature.[45]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Russ George (July 18, 2007). "Supplemental materials from Russ George to House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 30, 2012. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Planktos Ecosystems". Retrieved October 18, 2012.
  3. ^ a b c "World's biggest geoengineering experiment 'violates' UN rules". The Guardian. October 15, 2012. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
  4. ^ a b c Piper, Kelsey (May 24, 2019). "The climate renegade". Vox. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  5. ^ "The Return of a Dangerous Ecological Criminal". Sea Shepherd UK. October 29, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c B.C. village’s ocean fertilization experiment probed, CBC, March 28, 2013, retrieved March 28, 2025{{citation}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
  7. ^ a b "Planktos cancels ocean project, recalls ship, cuts jobs". Silicon Valley Business Journal. February 13, 2008. Archived from the original on February 18, 2008. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Iron flakes - more on Planktos Inc. and ocean iron fertilization". ETC Group. June 27, 2007. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  9. ^ "Huge swaths of plankton planned to fight climate change". New York Times. May 1, 2007. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  10. ^ "Company plans 'eco' iron dump off Galapagos". New Scientist. June 22, 2007. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Geoengineers to Foul Galapagos Seas-Defying Climate Panel Warning". ETC Group. May 2, 2007. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  12. ^ a b Revkin, Andrew (February 14, 2008), Venture to Use Sea to Fight Warming Runs Out of Cash, The New York Times, retrieved March 28, 2025{{citation}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
  13. ^ "Operation Aquatic Iron Dust Storm". Sea Shepherd UK. July 18, 2007. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  14. ^ "Carbon Discredit". Popular Science. July 1, 2008. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  15. ^ "Planktos Ship Appears in Bermuda". Sea Shepherd UK. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  16. ^ "Sea-seeding plan goes adrift". The Globe and Mail. December 20, 2007. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  17. ^ Courtland, Rachel (February 15, 2008). "Planktos dead in the water". Nature. doi:10.1038/news.2008.604. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  18. ^ Skibba, Ramin (March 22, 2025), A Mysterious Startup Is Developing a New Form of Solar Geoengineering, Wired, retrieved March 28, 2025{{citation}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
  19. ^ a b "CAN ANYONE STOP THE MAN WHO WILL TRY JUST ABOUT ANYTHING TO PUT AN END TO CLIMATE CHANGE?". Pacific Standard. May 5, 2014. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  20. ^ Biello, David (October 24, 2012). "Pacific Ocean Hacker Speaks Out". Scientific American. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
  21. ^ Arsenault, Chris. "Geoengineering: A climatic 'Frankenstein'?". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  22. ^ "Full Press Coverage of 2012 Ocean Fertilization Scheme Near Haida Gwaii". ETC Group. October 14, 2012. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
  23. ^ Smetacek, Victor; Klaas, Christine; Strass, Volker H.; Assmy, Philipp; Montresor, Marina; Cisewski, Boris; Savoye, Nicolas; Webb, Adrian; d’Ovidio, Francesco; Arrieta, Jesús M.; Bathmann, Ulrich; Bellerby, Richard; Berg, Gry Mine; Croot, Peter; Gonzalez, Santiago; Henjes, Joachim; Herndl, Gerhard J.; Hoffmann, Linn J.; Leach, Harry; Losch, Martin; Mills, Matthew M.; Neill, Craig; Peeken, Ilka; Röttgers, Rüdiger; Sachs, Oliver; Sauter, Eberhard; Schmidt, Maike M.; Schwarz, Jill; Terbrüggen, Anja; Wolf-Gladrow, Dieter (July 18, 2012). "Deep carbon export from a Southern Ocean iron-fertilized diatom bloom". Nature. 487 (7407): 313–319. Bibcode:2012Natur.487..313S. doi:10.1038/nature11229. PMID 22810695. S2CID 4304972.
  24. ^ Young, Emma (September 12, 2007). "Can 'fertilising' the ocean combat climate change?". New Scientist. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  25. ^ "Ocean seeding fails the acid test". New Scientist. June 11, 2008. Archived from the original on April 13, 2016. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  26. ^ Brown, Tamara N. V.; Johnson, Devan L.; Haigh, Nicky (November 2016). "Domoic acid (DA) in the waters of Haida Gwaii, British Columbia: A summary of occurrences and details on anthropogenic and environmental considerations". The North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES): 16. doi:10.13140/RG.2.2.20340.45440. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  27. ^ Carlin, Alex (May 14, 2022). "National Academy of Sciences Holds Up Key Climate Solution". Medium. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  28. ^ "Parties to international dumping treaties express concern regarding reported iron fertilization incident". IMO. November 2, 2012. Archived from the original on December 3, 2012. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  29. ^ "Misconceptions Shouldn't Hold Up Key Climate Solution". www.exposedbycmd.org. EXPOSEDbyCMD. August 5, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  30. ^ "Canada's ocean fertilization flap, and its significance". Legal Planet. October 18, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  31. ^ Haida Ocean Fertilization Press Conference - October 19, 2012, retrieved April 19, 2022
  32. ^ "B.C. village's ocean fertilization experiment probed". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. March 28, 2013. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
  33. ^ Hume, Mark; Bailey, Ian (October 19, 2012). "Businessman Russ George defends experiment seeding Pacific with iron sulphate". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  34. ^ "Haida announce termination of Russ George". Canada Newswire. May 23, 2013. Archived from the original on October 7, 2014. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  35. ^ a b http://site.canadianbusiness.com/longform/something-in-the-water/ Closed access icon (Closed Access)
  36. ^ "2016 BCCA 12 Ocean Pastures Corporation v. Old Masset Economic Development Corporation".
  37. ^ "Ocean Fertilization". Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. February 12, 2015. Archived from the original on March 12, 2015. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  38. ^ a b Xiu, Peng; Thomas, Andrew C.; Chai, Fei (April 5, 2014). "Satellite bio-optical and altimeter comparisons of phytoplankton blooms induced by natural and artificial iron addition in the Gulf of Alaska". Remote Sensing of Environment. 145: 38–46. Bibcode:2014RSEnv.145...38X. doi:10.1016/j.rse.2014.02.004.
  39. ^ Viechnicki, Joe (November 12, 2012). "Southeast's pink salmon forecast excellent for 2013". KSFK - Community Radio, Petersburg, Alaska. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  40. ^ "2013 Alaska Department of Fish and Game Southeast Alaska Pink Salmon Harvest Forecast" (PDF). Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G). Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  41. ^ dfg.webmaster@alaska.gov. "Commercial Salmon Gross Earnings by Species, Alaska Department of Fish and Game". www.adfg.alaska.gov. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  42. ^ "2013 Salmon Harvest Sets New Records". Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G). October 10, 2013. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  43. ^ "THE FISH CAME BACK TO HISTORIC ABUNDANCE". PASTURE PARTNERS. April 24, 2014. Archived from the original on March 7, 2019. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  44. ^ "Rogue Geoengineering Project May Have Increased Salmon Numbers". Popular Science. July 18, 2014. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  45. ^ Tollefson, Jeff (May 25, 2017). "Iron-dumping ocean experiment sparks controversy". Nature. 545 (7655): 393–394. Bibcode:2017Natur.545..393T. doi:10.1038/545393a. PMID 28541342.
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