Strong protests have arisen in Hvalfjörður, a fjord in western Iceland, over planned experiments involving a substance referred to as ‘vítissóti’, according to reporting by Vísir and mbl.is.
The company Rastar is behind these research projects, with Vísir reporting that the firm has been granted permits related to the experiments. However, it remains unclear exactly when or if the necessary official approvals have been finalised, as previous applications faced regulatory hurdles.
In May of last year, Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir rejected Rastar’s application for a research permit, citing the absence of a legal framework for the type of research proposed. It is not yet known if this legal barrier has since been resolved.
Parliamentarian Karl Gauti Hjaltason voiced strong criticism of the planned experiment in Alþingi, Iceland’s parliament, expressing his support for those protesting the project.
Hjaltason also raised doubts about the environmental claims put forward by the project’s proponents. Specifically, he questioned whether the claimed carbon sequestration benefits of the experiment would actually outweigh the emissions produced during manufacturing and transport.
Sources
- mbl.is (first reported) in Icelandic
- Vísir in Icelandic
- Vísir in Icelandic
