This presentation provides an analysis of and a critical reflection on the 'slippery slope' concept in climate engineering (CE) research, particularly the slopes from research towards deployment, and the 'less mitigation slippery slope'. For each of these, we identify initial actions that could initiate such a slope, internal factors, and external factors which can each influence the slopes. These include reasons for CE research, the development of vested interests, and societal opposition. We then identify the assumptions that need to hold to arrive at a robust argument for these slopes. We discuss whether the framing of the debate in terms of slippery slopes hides from view possible alternative development pathways based on fundamental changes to current production and consumption patterns. We conclude with a critical reflection on the usefulness of the concept of slippage for possible future trajectories in fields of high uncertainty like CE.
