About ELSI...

From the very earliest stages of planning the Human Genome Project, the scientists involved appreciated the profound implications for individuals, families and society that the results of the project would likely have and the ethical, legal and social issues (ELSI) that would undoubtedly arise. As a result, the DOE and NIH set aside 3-5% of their annual human genome program budgets to fund ELSI-related research and education - a policy that continues to this day.

Anthropogenic climate change poses ELSI every bit as profound as those of the Human Genome Project and proposals for "climate engineering" or "geoengineering" in particular have become lightning rods for such concerns. "Ocean Fertilization" is among such topics, and as a consequence, Seaquester intends to set aside a similar small fraction of its operating budget, once established, to fund related ELSI research and education to fullfill our mission.