Is there Anything New under the Sun? The Governance Challenges and Social Risks of Climate Engineering

Abstract

Climate change is presently among the greatest global challenges, yet existing efforts to reduce its risks—greenhouse gas emission cuts and adapting societies and ecosystems to a changed climate—are widely considered to be inadequate. In response, some scientists and other observers are increasingly considering large-scale, international interventions in Earth systems in order to counteract some effects of climate change. Although these ‘climate engineering’ (CE) or ‘geoengineering’ methods would present environmental risks of its own, models presently indicate that some CE techniques may be able to significantly reduce net climate risks. However, CE has been controversial, and until recently, taboo. Key reasons for this are governance challenges and social risks. Specifically, the consideration, research, and development of CE could exceed the capacity of international institutions and alter political and social conditions in such ways as to make the optimal implementation of CE, as well as optimal greenhouse gas cuts and adaptation, unlikely. The presentations on this panel will examine some of these governance challenges and social risks of CE, asking to what extent and under what conditions widely-held concerns are legitimate and robust. First, noting that some CE techniques might be essentially global in effect, it remains unclear whether they could be legitimately governed. Would it fundamentally alter both society and the environment, overwhelming any international institutions and rending CE ungovernable? Or, despite its challenges, does CE lack truly novel characteristics in relation to other new powerful technologies? Second, it is widely believed that consideration of CE will undermine efforts toward greenhouse gas cuts. Third, CE research could catalyze the formation of vested economic interests which could influence subsequent decision-making processes. Under what conditions are these latter two concerns legitimate? Are there potential policy responses? Do these concerns obscure options beyond CE?

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