Climate engineering, also known as climate intervention or geoengineering, involves the deliberate alteration of Earth’s climate with the aim of counteracting or alleviating the effects of climate change. Various methods are employed in this process, including techniques for reflecting sunlight away from the planet or removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Due to the existing gap between climate policy targets and the necessary reductions in greenhouse gas concentrations, these techniques are increasingly gaining policy attention.
Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR)
Carbon Dioxide Removal is one aspect of climate engineering. It basically leads to the removal and storage of emitted carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This is accomplished through five main approaches which include direct air capture, land-use management via afforestation/reforestation, sequestering carbon dioxide produced by biomass also used as an energy source, enhancing CO2 uptake by the ocean, and increasing natural weathering processes which remove CO2 from the atmosphere. According to a report published in the journal Nature, new CDR technologies have achieved only about 0.1% of carbon removal, equivalent to around 2.3 million tonnes per year.
Solar Radiation Modification (SRM)
Another technique employed within climate engineering is Solar Radiation Modification. SRM methods involve increasing the surface reflectivity of the planet, using reflective paints on structures, planting crops with high reflectivity, enhancing marine cloud reflectivity, removing infrared-absorbing clouds and injecting aerosols into the lower stratosphere to mimic volcanic eruption-induced cooling. Other techniques under SRM include reducing solar radiation reaching the earth by placing reflectors or shields in space.
Ethical, Economic, and Governance Concerns in Climate Engineering
The practice of climate engineering comes with its own set of challenges and issues. Ethically, it may pose a ‘moral hazard’ by providing stakeholders with a reason to avoid reducing fossil fuel use. In terms of economic concerns, climate engineering could be promoted by corporations as the preferable solution to global warming, thereby fostering business investments and economic growth. Yet, implementation of these technologies requires international cooperation among nations with differing economic interests.
From a governance perspective, there exists a disparity between the global approach required to combat climate change and the current nation-state-based legal system. The governance of climate engineering needs a multi-level approach and coordination with non-state actors. This involvement however, could pose risks, but on the positive side, civil society could play a significant role in pressuring institutions to fulfill their obligations.
UNESCO’s Recommendations on Climate Engineering
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in its report on the ethics of climate engineering, emphasized the significance of including vulnerable and marginalized individuals, women, youth, and indigenous people as key stakeholders in policy decisions relating to this contentious field. UNESCO’s recommendations include introducing legislation that regulates climate action while also taking into account the transboundary impact of their decisions on all humans and ecosystems. They also suggested making regional agreements to avoid the risks of unequal spatial distribution of effects and called for a ban on the weaponization of climate engineering techniques. Furthermore, it was affirmed that political or economic interests should not influence scientific research on climate engineering.
Previous Examination Question on Climate Engineering
In the UPSC Civil Services Examination, one of the Prelims Questions from 2019 pertained to the context in which scientists suggest the use of certain climate engineering techniques. Specifically, it asked about the context of utilizing the cirrus cloud thinning technique and the injection of sulfate aerosol into the stratosphere. The correct answer, pointing to its use for reducing global warming, illustrates the relevance of understanding climate engineering concepts.
