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2013 CCLR 177 (2013)
A Prognosis, and Perhaps a Plan, for Geoengineering Governance

handle is hein.journals/cclr2013 and id is 189 raw text is: A Prognosis, and Perhaps a Plan, for Geoengineering Governance 177 A Prognosis, and Perhaps a Plan, for Geoengineering Governance Jane C. S. Long* The idea of global climate engineering exists, but there are no global institutions capa- ble of making legitimate choices about deploying and managing such an intervention. On the other hand, sub-global regions, mostly individual countries could, and in fact currently do, deploy smaller interventions against natural disasters without global decision-making. If governments actively plan to cooperate on developing and manag- ing interventions to avoid, redirect or modify severe weather natural disasters related to climate change they may along the way learn about how to set intervention goals, make intervention choices, assess outcomes of the intervention and adapt the interven- tions accordingly. These crucial deliberation and management skills could grow as the interventions grow in response to more severe impacts. Governments should plan to use collaboration on natural disasters as a vehicle for developing the institutional capacity to manage the global climate. The changing climate will produce rising sea levels, heat waves, drought, fires and other events that damage human settlements and ecosystems.1 As the damaging impacts of climate change become worse and more apparent, people are more likely to take measures to preserve lives and ecosystems, and may also consider intentional modification of the climate. Scientists have already conceived techno- logical ideas for climate engineering and provided some preliminary assessments of these ideas.2 These techniques, called geoengineering or cli- mate engineering, may be needed in the future Dr. Jane C. S. Long is currently a senior consulting scientist for the Environmental Defense Fund and is co-chair of the Geoengineering Task Force for the Bipartisan Policy Center. 1 The scientific consensus behind this observation is very strong and has been extensively documented in the scientific assessments published by the UN International Panel of Climate Change (see <http://www.ipcc.ch>, last accessed on 22 November 2013). Popular consensus behind this observation is also strong. For example this has been extensively documented by the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication (<http://environment.yale. edu/c imate-communication/article/Climate- Policy-Support-April- 2013>, last accessed on 22 November 2013). The political consensus behind this fact is strong globally as evidenced by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, which was even signed by the US. 2 The Royal Society conducted a committee review of known ideas about climate engineering. John G. Shepherd et al., and even the Dalai Lama has endorsed research on whether any of these techniques might be effective, advisable and practical.4 There is broad agreement that we need effective governing institutions to manage such a potentially risky technology56 but no credible prognosis has emerged to explain how such governance might emerge. Governance presents a challenge because the technology is highly problematic to manage and because existing institutions have no clear mandate to make legitimate decisions about climate engi- neering for the world. Geoengineering the clhinate: science, governance and uncertainty (London: The Royal Society, 2009). 3 These terms are used interchangeably in this paper. 4 The Dalai Lama spoke at MIT and indicated that we should take responsibility for managing the Earth and that it was prudent to find out more about geoengineering. For more information, see Peter Dizikes, At MIT, the Dalai Lama calls for better stewardship of Earth's resources, MIT News, 16 October 2012, available at: <http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2012/dalai-lama-visits-101 6.html> (last accessed on 22 November 2013). 5 Jane Long, et al., Task Force on Climate Renecliation Research (Bipartisan Policy Center, 2011). 6 Steve Rayner, Clare Heyward, Tim Kruger et al., The Oxford Principles, 121(3) Climatic Change (2013), pp.499-512. CCLR 3|2013

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