‘Opening up’ geoengineering appraisal: Deliberative Mapping of options for tackling climate change

Bellamy, Rob (2013) ‘Opening up’ geoengineering appraisal: Deliberative Mapping of options for tackling climate change. Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

Deliberate large-scale interventions in the Earth’s climate system, known collectively as climate
‘geoengineering’, have been proposed in order to moderate anthropogenic climate change. A host
of normative rationales for geoengineering has led to a growing number of appraisals to evaluate
the different proposals and provide decision support. This thesis critically reviews current appraisals
of geoengineering before developing and executing its own appraisal methodology in response
to their limitations. These limitations concern: (1) the appraisal of geoengineering proposals
in ‘contextual isolation’ of alternative options for tackling climate change; (2) inadequate
methodological responses to the ‘post-normal’ scientific context in which climate change and geoengineering
resides; and (3) a premature ‘closing down’ upon particular geoengineering proposals,
principally stratospheric aerosol injection, through the exertion of power via framings.
This thesis exhibits the findings of an ‘upstream’ participatory appraisal of geoengineering called
Deliberative Mapping; an innovative analytic-deliberative methodology designed to ‘open up’ appraisal
inputs and outputs to a broader diversity of framings, knowledges and future pathways. A
diversity of international experts and stakeholders from across academia, civil society, industry
and government, and of sociodemographically representative citizens from Norfolk (UK), were
engaged using a combination of analytic Multi-Criteria Mapping specialist interviews and deliberative
citizens’ panels, as well as a joint specialists-citizens workshop. The results present a radically
different view to other appraisals of geoengineering, where: (1) geoengineering proposals are
most often outperformed by mitigation options, with stratospheric aerosol injection ranking particularly
poorly; (2) a greater diversity of perspectives and assessment criteria spanning the natural,
applied and social sciences reveals considerable uncertainties in all areas of research and decision
making; and (3) four propositions for governance emerge that advance sociotechnical foresight,
technology control and public consent, the anticipation and alleviation of impacts, a
demonstration of robustness, and ultimately, the responsible innovation of geoengineering.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Science > School of Environmental Sciences
Depositing User:	Users 2259 not found.
Date Deposited:	13 Jun 2014 08:38
Last Modified:	13 Jun 2014 08:38
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/48787
DOI:

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