The Pacific Islands are right to mistrust geo-engineering

The author contends that geoengineering lacks proof of efficacy and carries unpredictable risks, serving as a dangerous distraction from necessary mitigation efforts. For Pacific islanders, who contribute only 0.02% of global greenhouse gas emissions but face extreme vulnerability to sea-level rise, the push for geoengineering is viewed with mistrust due to a history of being used as testing grounds for risky technologies, such as nuclear weapons. The text supports the Convention on Biological Diversity's 2010 moratorium on geoengineering and urges a transition to renewable energy and the protection of natural carbon sinks as outlined in the Paris Agreement and IPCC reports.

• Pacific island nations are highly vulnerable to climate change despite contributing only about 0.02% of total global greenhouse gas emissions.
• Mistrust of geoengineering in the Pacific is rooted in historical experiences where the region was used for testing dangerous technologies, specifically nuclear weapons in the 1940s and 1950s, leading to ongoing risks like radiation leaks from a degrading concrete dome in the Marshall Islands.
• The Pacific Islands Development Forum supports the 2010 Convention on Biological Diversity moratorium on geoengineering activities until a global, transparent, and effective regulatory mechanism is established.
• The document asserts that geoengineering should not replace radical mitigation efforts, such as replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy and protecting natural carbon sinks like mangroves, forests, and seagrass meadows.

APA

Martel, F. (2019). The Pacific Islands are right to mistrust geo-engineering. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/the-pacific-islands-are-right-to-mistrust-geo-engineering/

Chicago

Martel, François. The Pacific Islands are right to mistrust geo-engineering. World Economic Forum, 2019. https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/the-pacific-islands-are-right-to-mistrust-geo-engineering/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Martel |first1=François |title=The Pacific Islands are right to mistrust geo-engineering |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=30 September 2019 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/the-pacific-islands-are-right-to-mistrust-geo-engineering/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{martel2019pacific, author = {Martel, François}, title = {{The Pacific Islands are right to mistrust geo-engineering}}, publisher = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2019}, month = sep, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/the-pacific-islands-are-right-to-mistrust-geo-engineering/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }