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Description

Summary

Climate engineering-CE orGeoengineering refers to a broad set of methods and technologies that aim to deliberately alter the climate system in order to alleviate the impacts of climate change. Most, but not all, methods seek to either a) reduce the amount of absorbed solar energy in the climate system  or b) increase net carbon sinks from the atmosphere at a scale sufficiently large to alter climate . Scale and intent are of central importance. Two key characteristics of geoengineering methods of particular concern are that they use or affect the climate system  globally or regionally and/or could have substantive unintended effects that cross national boundaries. Geoengineering is different from weather modification and ecological engineering, but the boundary can be fuzzy” (IPCC 2011:2).Research frame:With the collaboration of other academic institutions and funding agencies has been investigating the issues with the core objective “to investigate implications for the governance of GE”. Other specific objectives include:How is climate engineering framed in the media and by scientific communities?How are the framings formed through communication among lay people?What are the differences in how climate engineering is understood? What are the implications of different sense makings of the technologies for the governance of climate engineering?With the close discussion with the entire research team and preliminary research on above mentioned issue, research will also try to find out:  Different geoengineering options, their scientific basis and associated uncertainties; Associated potential risks and related knowledge gaps; Effect of impacts and side effects on mitigation cost and the role within the portfolio of mitigation options;Suitability of existing governance mechanisms for managing geoengineering, including social, legal and political factors;This will ultimately help to bridge the knowledge gaps and might be able to find some other option in the issue of CE.


Category of the action

Geoengineering


What actions do you propose?

Basically, the research team will try to investigate these issues in through social theoretical lenses. This research will also investigate for the new theoretical route which might be more suitable to understand the social consequences of climate change and its impacts.Additionally, research mostly will focus on the governance of the CE. Governance has to do with power, relationships and accountability, and reflects what a society sees as fair, or is prepared to accept as such, in terms of the whos and hows of authority and responsibility.  “Governance occurs on a global scale through both the co-ordination of states and the activities of a vast array of rule systems that exercise authority in the pursuit of goals that function outside normal national jurisdictions” (Rosenau, 2000:172). “Ideas of governance provide a way of thinking about the meta-rules and social institutions, both domestic and global, which structure social action.  While governmentality draws attention to the importance of “practice,” the details of how governance is carried out.  Governance will be evaluated with theoretical frame of Governmentality (Foucault 1980) (with the modification-how governments are serious on policy framing, funding and implementation of CE programs).In evaluating the governance research team will investigate the Climate engineering (CE)’s Effectiveness (how effective the technique would be at achieving its specified goal); Feasibility (readiness for deployment of the technique); Scalability (physical and social); Sustainability; Environmental risks; Costs and affordability; the Governance challenges; Ethical issues; Social acceptability and Uncertainty of the above mentioned criteria. 


Who will take these actions?

Data and method:

Primarily, this research will be based on secondary information (date base of IPCC and its publications; governments’ reports; World Bank and UN resources; European Union information portal; Sweden government resources, academic publications and library resources etc.). As resources permits, the research team will visit the major climate change related agencies such as Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Geneva office; Universities of Sweden and UK, to have firsthand information with the experts working in those institutions.

Basically research will be explanatory; though statistical tool will be used as needed and new model will be developed in due course (learning by doing). 


Where will these actions be taken?

Global, but South Asia will be in focus


What are other key benefits?

Most of the governments, non-government organizations, education institutions and other stakeholders are serious on the on the issue, however, still how Climate Engineering (CE) can be a strong tool, whether it will be cost effective or not; will it be government friendly or not is unknown.  The major component of CE is governance and finance


What are the proposal’s costs?

about $20000.00


Time line

Timing:

This research will be completed within two years’ TIME FRAME. First five months will be devoted on preliminary study, literature review, data archival, network development with the concern stakeholders etc. 


Related proposals

Basically most of them


References

IPCC( 2012): Meeting Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Expert Meeting on Geoengineering [O. Edenhofer, R. Pichs-Madruga, Y. Sokona, C. Field, V. Barros, T.F. Stocker, Q. Dahe, J. Minx, K. Mach, G.-K. Plattner, S. Schlömer, G. Hansen, M. Mastrandrea (eds.)]. IPCC Working Group III Technical Support Unit, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Potsdam, Germany, pp. 99.

 

Rosenau, J. (2000) ‘‘Change, Complexity and Governance in Globalizing Space.’’ In Debating Governance, edited by J. Pierre, pp. 167–200. Oxford: Oxford University Press.