There is a rising interest in using geoengineering to combat climate change. So there is a need for ethical guidelines to promote responsible decisions and inclusive discussions, said the AGU, while releasing a report — Ethical framework principles for climate intervention research. The guidelines seek to establish a set of globally recognised ethical principles to guide research, funding and policy proposals, drawing on precedents developed to guide research around other emerging fields with unknown consequences, including ethical practices for biomedical research and genetic engineering.
The American Geophysical Union (AGU), the world’s largest association of Earth and space scientists, has warned that large-scale deployment of climate geoengineering technologies can have unintended consequences.
Climate interventions, also known as geoengineering or climate engineering, are deliberate, large-scale attempts to alter the climate system in a way that halts, slows down or reverses global warming. The methods include carbon dioxide removal, using approaches such as reforestation or increasing the ocean’s capacity to absorb carbon. It also employs solar radiation modification to reduce the solar radiation absorbed by Earth and emerging technologies that, among others, aim to preserve ice sheets and restore sea ice and permafrost.
AGU President Lisa J Graumlich stated that immediate action is necessary to address climate change, but it is also crucial to conduct research in an inclusive and just manner, taking into account the potential risks and benefits. “Interest is growing in climate intervention technologies, but we cannot fully understand these projects without holistic inclusion of ethical and responsible research. We need transparency, serious study and consideration of potential risk and opportunities of climate intervention technologies to inform the true levels of real efficacy over long time frames,” said Graumlich.
AGU President Lisa J Graumlich
This AGU’s framework has been developed over two years with guidance from an advisory board of over 40 international experts from various disciplines. It incorporates input from numerous stakeholders, including policymakers, ethicists, non-governmental organisations, the private sector and affected communities.
“Public and private funders can play a key role in driving forward ethical guidance, developing requirements to protect research subjects and society at large from harm. They can help ensure climate intervention research is conducted along ethical lines by making the five principles requirements of any funding proposals. These principles are — responsible research, holistic climate justice, inclusive public participation, transparency and informed governance,” added the AGU president.
These principles emphasise the need for clear justifications, consideration of climate impacts on various groups, inclusive processes, transparency in funding, and accountability through independent review and stakeholder involvement.
The framework emphasises that climate intervention research should never be seen as an alternative to reducing emissions. It advocates that researchers must publicly justify their activities, carefully evaluating not only direct risks but also the broader physical, environmental, and social impacts that scaling up such interventions could bring.
Holistic climate justice is a vital consideration too. The guidelines stress that before initiating any research or action, it is essential for researchers to assess whether their work might shift climate impacts from one community to another. Additionally, they must take into account how these activities could affect groups facing social, economic, climate, and environmental injustices, future generations, and the natural world, including biodiversity.
The framework also underscores the importance of inclusive public participation. Securing free and informed consent of any indigenous communities likely to be affected by such moves is necessary, it said.
Transparency is another cornerstone of these guidelines. It requires complete openness regarding both public and private funding for climate intervention research. Researchers must handle data with integrity, document their methods and decision-making process thoroughly, and disclose negative results alongside positive findings.
The framework also insists on informed governance. For projects that pose significant risks, it is advised that research proposals undergo review and approval by independent bodies. Higher-risk or large-scale activities should be subjected to increased scrutiny. Researchers are expected to maintain accountability to a diverse set of public institutions and stakeholders, ensuring that governance is appropriate to the potential scale of the impacts.
“We all live on this one planet, but solutions cannot be one size fits all,” said Carlos Nobre, a senior researcher at the Institute for Advanced Studies in São Paulo, Brazil, and member of the Ethical Framework Advisory Board. “Global communities have unique challenges and vulnerabilities. When we contemplate how to address the existential threat of climate change, it is imperative that we do so by centering ethics. This framework helps lay the foundation for effective collaboration and partnership.”
The framework applies to all types of climate intervention and covers lab research and computer modelling as well as activities undertaken in the field. According to the AGU, it is designed to be flexible enough to be adapted to the needs of diverse contexts and actors and capable of evolving as society’s understanding of climate risks and climate intervention technologies develops.
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