Headline:
Do we need international governance of climate engineering? EuTRACE Policy Dialogue in Brussels
Climate Engineering (CE), large-scale intentional interventions into the climate system, might be capable of reducing some of the impacts of global climate change, but how can we avoid international tensions around this topic? On April 28, members of the EuTRACE (European Transdisciplinary Assessment of Climate Engineering) consortium met with representatives of the European Commission and other decision-makers in Brussels to discuss the need for international governance of climate engineering. Suggestions from the participants for future policy pathways highlighted the need for international cooperation and transparency as essential cornerstones for the governance of climate engineering research. EuTRACE is coordinated by IASS. The policy dialog was organized by Berlin-based think tank adelphi.
Input statements to the dialog event were given by Alexander Carius (adelphi) and Mark Lawrence (IASS), based on the results from the EuTRACE assessment. Policy options that were raised at the meeting include greater coordination between existing governance regimes such as the London Convention/London Protocol (LC/LP) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the taking into account of existing guiding principles of EU policy such as the precautionary principle, minimization of harms and the protection of the environment. The need for transdisciplinarity was also highlighted, recognizing the importance of including stakeholders from outside of academia already in the research process, for example when identifying relevant research questions.
EuTRACE is a FP7-funded project that assesses the potentials, implications, risks and uncertainties of Climate Engineering techniques, while engaging in continuous dialog with policy makers and representatives from civil society. Bringing together 14 partners from five European countries, EuTRACE draws on a breadth of interdisciplinary expertise to provide scientifically sound and socially relevant guidance to the European Union on options for policy development and future research pathways. The EuTRACE final report is scheduled to be released later this summer.
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