As the reality of climate engineering (CE) seems to draws nearer, questions about governance, coordination and accountability loom large. Leaving aside critical concerns about effective and responsible CE research and experimentation for a moment, I’d like to address a number of broad-ranging and interrelated questions: How do we ensure decision-making processes are inclusive and transparent? How should we understand and anticipate the potential social and economic impact of CE? What mechanisms will ensure accountability for these impacts and provide protection and remedies for those affected? How do we frame these questions in the first place?

Let’s consider, briefly, the role human rights might play in addressing these and other questions. In addition to providing a concrete legal foundation, human rights provide a valuable framing mechanism to understand the procedural, distributive and consequential concerns associated with CE. As a framing tool, human rights provide a well-established and widely accepted conceptual framework with which to identify and evaluate deprivations that occur as a result of CE interventions. They offer a lens through which to focus on the most vulnerable populations, understood as those likely to experience the greatest negative impact from CE. A human rights approach prioritizes the principles of nondiscrimination and participation at all levels of governance. The role of human rights should be carefully considered as we move towards a more robust debate about the benefits of CE to climate change mitigation.

Read more at Forum for Climate Engineering Assessment