unesco-scope-unep-geoengineering-pb-2011-e94cfa1f6e2459e9.pdf

This policy brief, published in November 2011 by UNESCO, SCOPE, and UNEP, examines the scientific, policy, and ethical implications of geoengineering (climate engineering). It distinguishes between carbon geoengineering and solar geoengineering, outlines a four-stage research framework, and highlights the urgent need for an international governance framework to manage the risks and equities associated with large-scale climate manipulation.

• Geoengineering, or Climate Engineering, is defined as the "deliberate large-scale manipulation of the Earth’s climate" intended to reduce the effects of climate change caused by greenhouse gases.
• There are two primary types of geoengineering: Carbon geoengineering (Carbon Dioxide Removal or CDR), which aims to actively remove CO2 from the atmosphere to potentially reverse climate change over decades, and Solar Geoengineering (Solar Radiation Management or SRM), which reduces the solar radiation absorbed by Earth to lower global average temperatures.
• Specific techniques include engineered carbon capture (using chemical technologies to remove CO2 from air), ecosystem-based carbon storage (enhancing forests and oceans), ocean fertilization (adding nutrients like nitrogen or iron to increase carbon storage in the deep ocean), stratospheric aerosols (injecting sulphate or other particles to mimic volcanic cooling), and cloud brightening (injecting sea salt to increase cloud reflectance).
• Geoengineering research is categorized into four stages: 1) Theory and Modelling, 2) Technology Development, 3) Sub-Scale Field Testing, and 4) Large-Scale Field Testing. While stages 1 and 2 do not directly impact the environment, stage 3 affects the area near the testing site, and stage 4 aims for global climatic impact.
• Leading scientific institutions propose geoengineering research for two main reasons: to understand the risks and utility of these techniques before severe climate impacts lead to public pressure for deployment, and to prevent individual states or actors from unilaterally deploying cheap, globally impactful technologies.
• The deployment of geoengineering presents significant ethical and political challenges, including the 'moral hazard' where the prospect of these technologies might reduce the motivation for nations to cut carbon emissions, and the risk that vulnerable populations—who are least responsible for climate change—will be most affected by any resulting environmental changes.
• The document emphasizes the urgent need for an international governance framework to ensure research is transparent and responsible. It notes that while 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 the issue, broader international engagement is required.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (n.d.). unesco-scope-unep-geoengineering-pb-2011-e94cfa1f6e2459e9.pdf. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/unesco-scope-unep-geoengineering-pb-2011.pdf

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. unesco-scope-unep-geoengineering-pb-2011-e94cfa1f6e2459e9.pdf. n.d. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/unesco-scope-unep-geoengineering-pb-2011.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=unesco-scope-unep-geoengineering-pb-2011-e94cfa1f6e2459e9.pdf |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{stockholmenvironmentinstitutendunescoscopeunepgeoengineeringpb2011e94cfa1f6e2459e9pdf, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{unesco-scope-unep-geoengineering-pb-2011-e94cfa1f6e2459e9.pdf}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, 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} }