A fresh report indicates that any study focusing on large-scale climate interventions must be rooted in strong ethical guidelines. This will enable society to make educated decisions about their implementation.
With increasing interest in geoengineering as a potential solution for climate change, the world’s largest association of Earth and space scientists has unveiled an ethical framework aimed at fostering responsible decision-making and inclusive conversations.
The report, organized by the American Geophysical Union (AGU) with insights from a global advisory panel, asserts that any research related to significant interventions in the Earth’s climate must be based on solid ethical principles. This is crucial for society to make informed decisions about potential deployment. The report also highlights that the unintended effects of widespread deployment are mostly unknown.
“Addressing climate change requires swift action, prioritizing the root cause: carbon emissions,” stated AGU President Lisa J. Graumlich. “Nevertheless, as the need for large-scale interventions to complement emission reductions increases, it is essential to conduct research inclusively, fairly, and justly, while thoroughly assessing risks and benefits.”
“We all share this planet, but there is no universal solution,” remarked Carlos Nobre, a senior researcher at the Institute for Advanced Studies in São Paulo, Brazil, and a member of the Ethical Framework Advisory Board. “Different global communities face unique challenges and vulnerabilities. When considering how to overcome the existential challenge of climate change, centering ethics is vital. This framework establishes a foundation for effective teamwork and partnerships.”
The report, titled Ethical Framework Principles for Climate Intervention Research, aims to create a set of universally acknowledged ethical standards to steer research, funding, and policy recommendations. It draws on ethical guidelines established for other emerging fields with unforeseen consequences, such as biomedical research and genetic engineering.
In the 2015 UN Paris Agreement, nations worldwide committed to efforts aimed at capping global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Unfortunately, global emissions continue to rise, and even slight temperature increments will lead to more severe weather events, floods, heatwaves, and other climate repercussions, while heightening the risk of triggering catastrophic changes like the transformation of the Amazon rainforest into dry savannah or the collapse of the Greenland Ice Sheet.
Climate interventions, often referred to as geoengineering or climate engineering, consist of deliberate, large-scale efforts to modify the climate system to halt, slow, or even reverse global warming. These technologies and methods include:
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carbon dioxide removal, focused on extracting greenhouse gases from the atmosphere using methods such as reforestation or enhancing the ocean’s carbon absorption capacity;
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solar radiation modification, which looks to decrease the sunlight absorbed by Earth, involving strategies that boost sunlight reflection from clouds or space sunshades;
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and innovative technologies and studies aimed at preserving ice sheets and restoring sea ice and permafrost.
“Climate intervention should not replace the need for reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” noted AGU Interim Executive Director and CEO Janice R. Lachance. “There is, however, active discussion on whether it should be integrated into a broader strategy to mitigate warming, address legacy carbon emissions from the past century, and help us meet global temperature targets. AGU feels privileged and obliged to advocate for a responsible pursuit of knowledge in climate science.”
This framework has been developed over the past two years, guided by an advisory board of over 40 international experts from various fields, along with extensive public consultations worldwide. It incorporates feedback from hundreds of scientists, policymakers, ethicists, government entities, NGOs, private companies, and communities potentially affected by climate change interventions. It proposes that all new research plans, funding choices, and policy initiatives adhere to five fundamental principles:
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Responsible Research. Climate intervention studies should not be framed as alternatives to emission reductions. Researchers must justify their activities clearly to the public, considering the direct risks and the physical, environmental, and social repercussions if expanded.
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Holistic Climate Justice. Before any activities, researchers should assess potential shifts in climate impacts among different groups and the effects on those facing social, economic, climate, and environmental injustices, as well as future generations and biodiversity.
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Inclusive Public Participation. Researchers should ensure equitable and inclusive procedures for identifying impacted groups and include them in discussions on the aims and design of their research. Any affected Indigenous Peoples must provide free, prior, and informed consent.
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Transparency. Funding for climate intervention research must be fully transparent, with researchers responsibly handling data, reporting the scientific nature involved, and documenting the decision-making process at every stage, including negative results.
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Informed Governance. For technologies with significant risks, funding bodies should mandate that research proposals receive independent review and approval. Higher-risk activities or those on a larger scale should undergo increased scrutiny, with researchers accountable to a representative group of public institutions and stakeholders relevant to their research’s impact.
“Communities need to have their voices heard regarding decisions that affect them,” stated project lead Billy Williams, AGU’s Executive Vice President, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. “Although climate change is a global risk, its burdens are not equally distributed. It’s crucial that we don’t exacerbate these inequities as we explore technological solutions to mitigate warming.”
The framework applies to all forms of climate intervention, including laboratory research, computer modeling, and field activities. It is purposefully versatile to accommodate different contexts and stakeholders and is designed to evolve as society’s understanding of climate risks and intervention technologies progresses.
AGU hopes this framework will spark conversations within the broader community invested in and affected by climate intervention research, policy, and investments, while encouraging the establishment of standards for ethical and responsible research practices.
“AGU and the contributors of this work strongly urge all relevant parties, including researchers, funders, and policymakers, to adopt these ethical principles when engaging in climate intervention research,” states the report.
For more details on the report, visit: AGU Ethical Framework Principles
