We Do Not Need Geoengineering to Solve or Exacerbate the Climate Crisis

CIEL responds to critiques of its report 'Fuel to the Fire', asserting that the fossil fuel industry has actively promoted carbon capture and storage (CCS), carbon dioxide removal (CDR), and solar radiation management (SRM) to entrench a fossil-based economy. The organization provides specific examples of industry-funded researchers and think tanks shaping geoengineering discourse and argues that these technologies are more likely to exacerbate the climate crisis by delaying the necessary phase-out of fossil fuels.

• CIEL asserts that fossil fuel companies have used carbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategies to ensure the continued use of oil and gas for decades, effectively extending the fossil-based economy.
• The document lists several instances where fossil fuel interests or their funding influenced the promotion of solar radiation management (SRM), including: SS Penner's work for the 1992 National Academy of Science Panel; ExxonMobil employees Haroon Kheshgi and Brian Flannery's early SRM articles; Lee Lane of the American Enterprise Institute (funded by ExxonMobil) testifying to the US Congress; and the Novim Climate Engineering Report led by former BP Chief Scientist Steve Koonin.
• CIEL argues that geoengineering, specifically SRM and SRM testing, is more likely to worsen the climate crisis than solve it because it risks delaying meaningful solutions and introduces poorly understood global risks.
• The organization maintains that the only feasible way to meet the IPCC's 1.5°C target is through a rapid and near-complete phase-out of fossil fuels, aligning with the IPCC's conclusion that SRM is too risky for energy future visions.

APA

Muffett, C. (2019). We Do Not Need Geoengineering to Solve or Exacerbate the Climate Crisis. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/we-do-not-need-geoengineering-to-solve-or-exacerbate-the-climate-crisis/

Chicago

Muffett, Carroll. We Do Not Need Geoengineering to Solve or Exacerbate the Climate Crisis. Center for International Environmental Law, 2019. https://www.ciel.org/we-do-not-need-geoengineering-to-solve-or-exacerbate-the-climate-crisis/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Muffett |first1=Carroll |title=We Do Not Need Geoengineering to Solve or Exacerbate the Climate Crisis |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=7 March 2019 |url=https://www.ciel.org/we-do-not-need-geoengineering-to-solve-or-exacerbate-the-climate-crisis/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{muffett2019not, author = {Muffett, Carroll}, title = {{We Do Not Need Geoengineering to Solve or Exacerbate the Climate Crisis}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2019}, month = mar, url = {https://www.ciel.org/we-do-not-need-geoengineering-to-solve-or-exacerbate-the-climate-crisis/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }