Climate Engineering

The document outlines two primary categories of geoengineering: carbon geoengineering (CO2 removal) and solar geoengineering (solar radiation management). It details a four-stage research progression from theory to large-scale testing and highlights critical ethical, political, and social risks, including moral hazard and equity for vulnerable populations. The authors argue for the urgent development of a transparent international governance framework to manage these technologies responsibly.

• Geoengineering is divided into two distinct categories: carbon geoengineering, which aims to actively remove CO2 from the atmosphere to potentially reverse climate change, and solar geoengineering, which seeks to reduce the amount of solar radiation absorbed by the Earth to lower global average temperatures.
• Carbon geoengineering techniques, such as engineered direct air capture and ecosystem-based methods like ocean fertilization, are projected to take decades to impact CO2 concentrations and may cost as much as or more than traditional mitigation.
• Solar geoengineering techniques, including stratospheric aerosols and cloud brightening, could produce a climatic effect in less than a year and are expected to be less expensive than mitigation.
• Geoengineering research progresses through four stages: theory and modelling, technology development, sub-scale field testing, and large-scale field testing. While the first two stages do not directly impact the environment, stage 3 affects the immediate testing site, and stage 4 aims for global impact.
• Major research into geoengineering is driven by the need to understand risks before severe climate impacts trigger public pressure for deployment, and to prevent individual states or actors from deploying cheap, impactful technologies unilaterally.
• The deployment of geoengineering presents several socio-political risks, including 'moral hazard'—where the technology reduces the motivation to cut carbon emissions—and challenges regarding liability and compensation for unintended consequences.
• Existing international frameworks, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity and the London Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter, have begun exploring geoengineering, but a broader, robust regulatory framework is still required.

APA

Blackstock, J. J., Moore, N., & Siebert, C. K. (2011). Climate Engineering. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/unesco-scope-unep-geoengineering-pb-2011.pdf

Chicago

Blackstock, Jason J., Nigel Moore, and Clarisse Kehler Siebert. Climate Engineering. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2011. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/unesco-scope-unep-geoengineering-pb-2011.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Blackstock |first1=Jason J. |last2=Moore |first2=Nigel |last3=Siebert |first3=Clarisse Kehler |title=Climate Engineering |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=November 2011 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/unesco-scope-unep-geoengineering-pb-2011.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{blackstock2011climate, author = {Blackstock, Jason J. and Moore, Nigel and Siebert, Clarisse Kehler}, title = {{Climate Engineering}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2011}, month = nov, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/unesco-scope-unep-geoengineering-pb-2011.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }