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Responsibility at the planetary scale: Ethics and governance of climate intervention

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:

  • Technologies: Chris Field (Stanford), Steve Gardiner (University of Washington), Josh Horton (Chicago)
  • Ethics: Britta Clark (Harvard), Lucas Stanczyk (Harvard), Marion Hourdequin (Colorado College)
  • Governance: Sikina Jinnah (Santa Cruz), Jonathan Wiener (Duke Law School), Maxine Burkett (Stanford)

About the authors

Anna Stilz

Kernan Robson Professor of Political Science

Helene Benveniste

Assistant Professor of Environmental Social Sciences, Stanford University

Simona Capisani

Associate Professor of Environmental and Political Philosophy, Durham University

Chris Field

Melvin and Joan Lane Professor of Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies, Stanford University

Stephen M. Gardiner

Professor of Philosophy and Ben Rabinowitz Endowed Professor of the Human Dimensions of the Environment, University of Washington, Seattle

Josh Horton

Senior Consultant, International Policy and Research, University of Chicago

Britta Clark

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Harvard Solar Geoengineering Research Program

Lucas Stanczyk

Associate Professor of Philosophy, Harvard University

Marion Hourdequin

Professor of Philosophy, Colorado College

Sikina Jinnah

Professor of Environmental Studies, UC Santa Cruz

Jonathan B. Wiener

Professor of Law, Environmental Policy, and Public Policy, Duke University

Maxine Burkett

Emerson Collective Professor of Climate, Environment, and Society, Stanford University

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