Participatory Assessment and Governance of Climate Intervention Technologies

Program Areas – Responsible Innovation, Science and Technology Policy, Education and Engagement, Futures

Project Background:

Climate intervention technologies (CIT) include several existing, proposed, theoretical, or experimental technologies, including carbon dioxide removal and solar radiation management technologies, that aim to modify Earth’s climate systems to reduce the harms of climate change (IPCC, 2018; The Royal Society, 2018). Projected climate models suggest that these technologies may be necessary to achieve the international community’s ambition of staying below a 2°C increase in global temperatures (IPCC, 2018; AGU, 2022). However, there remains a high degree of uncertainty about whether such technologies would work at scale, who would benefit and who would suffer from their deployment, where they might be located, what their effects would be on surrounding populations, and what their impact would be to those already most vulnerable in society. These substantial uncertainties and branching technological pathways for CIT underscore the need for robust technology assessment and foresight that integrates CIT expert views with social science.

Project Objectives

This one-year project will explore and articulate the needs, opportunities, resources, organizations and partnerships for designing a global research center for participatory, inclusive, and responsible governance of Climate Intervention Technologies. Additionally, this project seeks to expand and adapt participatory technology assessment (pTA) as an overarching framework for integrating scientific research with societal needs and public value.

To meet these aims, the project team will develop a roadmap for research, education, engagement and integration across five activities deemed necessary for the responsible governance of CIT:

  • Foresight and Assessment;
  • Expert and Stakeholder Engagement;
  • Anticipatory and Polycentric Governance;
  • Evidence-based Decision and Policy Making;
  • Civic and Informal Science Education and Training

Funder

This project is supported by a planning grant awarded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (2334370) through their Centers for Research and Innovation in Science, the Environment and Society (CRISES) program. The goal of the NSF CRISES program is to fund centers that will catalyze new research and research-based innovations to address seemingly intractable problems that confront our society. These centers will develop evidence-based solutions that address fundamental quality-of-life issues involving the environment, extreme weather and sustainability, workforce and the economy, equity and access to opportunities, and well-being.

Partners

Meet the Project Team

Principal Investigators

Additional Team Members