Governance & Policy
London Convention and Protocol
Definition
The London Convention (1972) and its 1996 Protocol form the global regime regulating the dumping of wastes at sea. The Protocol adopts a precautionary reverse-list approach: dumping is prohibited unless a material is on the permitted list, which includes dredged material, fish waste and inert inorganic geological material. Amendments also address carbon capture and storage in sub-seabed formations.
References
Convention and Protocol scope and permitted list
Related ship-source pollution rules
Overview
What it means
The default answer to "can we dump it in the ocean?" is no — only assessed, permitted exceptions apply.
How it is used
Dredging projects obtain sea-disposal permits; regulators assess ocean-fertilisation and geoengineering proposals against its rules; CCS projects navigate its export amendment.
Why it matters
It ended the era of routine ocean disposal and now gates emerging practices like marine carbon dioxide removal.