Geoengineering is likely to become an increasing subject of discussion in the coming years, due to insufficient progress at decarbonization. When we use the term “geoengineering,” we refer to a range of technologies, from large-scale carbon removal to marine cloud brightening, to sea ice management, to solar radiation management, and others. Governments or other actors may begin to look to geoengineering to mitigate near-term climate impacts, and to extend the timeframe in which the energy transition could be accomplished. Research into geoengineering is already underway: In 2022, the Biden administration outlined support for a research program on solar radiation management, and in September 2024, the UK’s science agency agreed to provide £57 million for outdoor geoengineering experiments.
Geoengineering raises questions both about how to govern research and also how to govern future deployment. What kind of global body might be able to make decisions concerning these new technologies? What values bear on the decision whether or not to geoengineer? How might such a body represent the diverse attitudes to nature representative of the world’s cultures and peoples? Could a governance institution manage the risks of harm to ecosystems, and prevent geoengineering from leading to political, economic, and military conflicts?
Led by Anna Stilz (UC Berkeley), Helene Benveniste (Stanford), and Simona Capisani (Durham), this BESI Tech Collaborative Grant project brings together multiple teams, each focused on a key dimension of the geoengineering question:
March 30, 2026
This project revisits the net neutrality debate in light of contemporary technological realities. Distributed caching infrastructure is no longer incidental; it is functionally necessary for high-performance internet service. The authors propose democratizing caching by requiring that first-hop ISPs offer standardized caching services as a component of baseline broadband access.
March 30, 2026
An increasingly important and overlooked dimension of digital content quality for kids is the level of visual stimulation. This project uses computer vision to quantify these overstimulating visual features that are linked to adverse cognitive and behavioral outcomes.
March 30, 2026
This project looks at how AI is being developed and adopted within religious organizations. This is a project that spans disciplinary boundaries, bringing digital sociology and the sociology of culture into conversation with theology and religious studies.