Solar geoengineering, also called Solar Radiation Modification (SRM), refers to a set of speculative technologies that seek to artificially cool the planet by intervening into the earth’s climate systems. One of the most discussed options is the massive injection of sulphate aerosols into the stratosphere to reflect some incoming sunlight back out into space, in order to have a cooling effect. While some see solar geoengineering as a potential future tool to address the worst impacts of climate change, others view it as posing severe environmental, social, ethical, and geopolitical risks, also arguing that it would fail to address the root causes of climate change. Many point also to the complex global governance and justice challenges associated with solar geoengineering.
This topic proved to be very controversial at the United Nations Environment Assembly session in February 2024, where many developing countries called for a non-use mechanism for solar geoengineering, while others called for further assessment and research. No compromise was reached. This session brings together representatives from governments, academia, youth, indigenous communities, and civil society to reflect on the latest policy and scientific developments within this rapidly evolving field, and to consider options for restrictive global governance. An urgent need is to integrate critical voices of the most vulnerable.
The session’s core aim is to advance understanding of how contemplating solar geoengineering as a future climate policy option could adversely affect the implementation and achievement of many interconnected SGDs, including those on climate, inequality, and inclusive and effective global governance.
AGENDA
14:00 – 14:10 Welcome and introduction to the session- Aarti Gupta, Professor of Global Environmental Governance, Wageningen University, The Netherlands
14:10-14:30 Keynote address - Hon. Ralph Regenvanu, Vanuatu’s Special Envoy for Climate Change and Environment; Former Minister for Climate Change Adaptation, Energy, Environment, Meteorology, Geo-Hazards and Disaster Management, Vanuatu
14:30- 15:30 Setting the stage: Academic perspectives on the science, governance, and ethics of solar geoengineering- Raymond Pierrehumbert, Halley Professor of Physics, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
- Aarti Gupta, Professor of Global Environmental Governance, Wageningen University, The Netherlands
- Chukwumerije Okereke, Professor of Global Climate Governance and Public Policy, University of Bristol, United Kingdom
- Frank Biermann (chair), Professor of Global Sustainability Governance, Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
15:30-16:00 Break 16:00-16:45 Governmental and UN perspectives: National and International Policy Developments- Hibaa-Haibado Ismael H. Tani, Third Counsellor, Djibouti Embassy in Kenya (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation), Republic of Djibouti
- Philippe Maupai, Deputy Head of Division, Geopolitics of Climate Change, Climate and Security, Water Diplomacy Federal Foreign Office, Germany
- Rio Hada, Chief, Equality, Development and Rule of Law Section, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), New York Office, United States
- Aarti Gupta (chair), Professor of Global Environmental Governance, Wageningen University, The Netherlands
16:45-17:30 Stakeholder dialogue with audience Q&A: Societal views on policy and research developments- Panganga Pungowiyi, Climate Geoengineering Organizer, Indigenous Environmental Network, United States
- Lili Fuhr, Director of Fossil Economy Program, Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), Germany
- Heleen Bruggink, Co-Founder of Mind Our Future: Critical Youth on Solar Geoengineering, Germany
- Carol Bardi (chair), Researcher at the University of Münster, Germany
17:30-17:50 Way Forward - Frank Biermann, Professor of Global Sustainability Governance, Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
17:50 – 18:00 Closing- Aarti Gupta, Professor of Global Environmental Governance, Wageningen University, The Netherlands
Open Zoom
