Published 12-16-16

The long-term objective of the Carnegie Climate Geoengineering Governance Project is to encourage dialogues on and to develop governance framework(s) for climate geoengineering.

Carnegie Climate Geoengineering Governance Project 

The Project will build on the best available assessments of the science (physical, economic, and social) as well as of the policy options available for potential governance framework (such as those being considered by the Academic Working Group on International Governance of Solar Climate Engineering, aka AWG).

One major means of achieving this objective will be to introduce into all key relevant intergovernmental institutions and processes (such as for example UNEP, WMO, UNFCCC, CBD, IPCC, OECD, etc.) the issues related to geoengineering and earthsystem governance.

Outreach to all key stakeholders (governments, CSOs, private sector) will be crucial to increase the level of dialogue in order to ensure that different aspects of the challenges are addressed.

In parallel, the Project will consider the key policy options that may be necessary for guiding further research, and possible future deployment. These options can include guidelines adopted by intergovernmental bodies; recommendations of one or more high-level panels or commissions; as well as, potentially, protocols to existing treaties, or even the development of new treaties over time.

The Project will neither promote nor be necessarily against the potential deployment of climate geoengineering. The project will, however, advocate for the development of governance frameworks necessary for potential deployment, as well as for expanded research on such techniques, including their environmental, social, and economic impacts.

The Project will have a broad overall approach, by considering various geoengineering techniques (including both solar radiation management and carbon dioxide removals at scale) as part of the overall package of potential tools available to address climate change, such as mitigation, adaptation, and resilience. At the same time, after initial analyses of the policy options, the Project may focus on one or more of the more promising options for the development of related policy frameworks.

The preparatory phase of the Project is under way. The full-scale project will, however, be only announced toward the end of 2016. The Project is expected to last into the next decade.

Link to Article

The Ethics and Governance of Geoengineering