If we were to create robust governance and ethics protocols around climate intervention, where would we start?
Applications are now closed to join a workshop series hosted by the U.S. National Science Foundation to discuss this critical question.
Overview
In October and November 2024, the U.S. National Science Foundation will gather a group of selected participants to discuss research directions of climate intervention: its risks, impacts, and successes, best practices of governance and ethics, and where we need to know more.
We need your expertise and perspective to identify and address the critical research questions that will expand our understanding of the ethical and social considerations of deploying ocean and terrestrial Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) and Solar Radiation Management (SRM) strategies.
These NSF-sponsored workshops are designed to shape the boundaries of possible future strategies for CDR and SRM while addressing the ethical and social dynamics that will be critical in outlining the potential development and implementation of projects based on these strategies.
What is the Challenge?
The rapid reduction of CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions remains a top priority. However, as the global temperature continues to rise at an unprecedented rate, there has been increased interest in CDR and SRM strategies, resulting in a push for federal agency research in these areas. Although CDR and SRM offer intriguing and exciting approaches to mitigating climate change, they can also result in unintended environmental and societal consequences. We must use an interdisciplinary approach in order to weigh the risks of implementing the strategies against the risks of inaction.
What will we do?
During a series of five virtual half-day workshops and an preliminary briefing session, scientists and engineers within the domains of the atmosphere, land and oceans will explore visions for what research is feasible within the CDR and SRM realms. The first three workshops will focus on SRM, terrestrial CDR, and marine CDR, and include both natural and social scientists. During the final two workshops, which will be limited to social and select natural scientists, we will identify potential ethics and governance aspects we may have overlooked and discuss research opportunities to address such gaps.
What are the outputs?
We anticipate generating a portfolio of research questions which would allow us to inform robust governance and ethics protocols around climate intervention.
It is also likely that discussions will foster new and strengthen existing inter-disciplinary collaboration between social scientists, ethicists, natural and life scientists and engineers, from across all sectors to help create a holistic approach to potential deployment of climate intervention projects.
Who Should Apply?
We invite unconventional thinkers and those passionate about shaping ethics and governance frameworks in science from across all sectors and locations to apply to join the workshops.
We anticipate over 100 people from diverse backgrounds will join us. By participating, you will:
- Help shape the research agenda in this critical area.
- Engage with an interdisciplinary network of experts and relevant groups.
- Contribute to groundbreaking research that addresses the natural science, ethical, social, engineering, and public health impacts of climate intervention.
Join us in this vital effort to explore and address the complexities of climate intervention. Your insights and participation are crucial to our success.
Any questions?
Please contact us at cdr-srm@nsf.gov.