Contested framings of greenhouse gas removal and its feasibility: social and political dimensions

Waller, Laurie, Rayner, Tim, Chilvers, Jason ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9238-1653, Gough, Clair, Lorenzoni, Irene, Jordan, Andy ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7678-1024 and Vaughan, Nem ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4532-2084 (2020) Contested framings of greenhouse gas removal and its feasibility: social and political dimensions. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 11 (4). ISSN 1757-7780

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Abstract

Prospective approaches for large‐scale greenhouse gas removal (GGR) are now central to the post‐2020 international commitment to pursue efforts to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5°C. However, the feasibility of large‐scale GGR has been repeatedly questioned. Most systematic analyses focus only on the physical, technical, and economic challenges of deploying it at scale. However, social and political dimensions will be just as important, if not more so, to how possible futures play out. We conduct one of the first reviews of the international peer‐reviewed literature pertaining to the social and political dimensions of large‐scale GGR, with a specific focus on two predominant approaches: Biomass energy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) and afforestation/reforestation (AR). Our analysis of 78 studies proposes two important insights. First, it shows how six key social and political dimensions of GGR feasibility–namely economics and incentives; innovation; societal engagement; governance; complexity and uncertainty; and ethics, equity, and justice–are identifiable and are emphasized to varying degrees in the literature. Second, there are three contested ways in which BECCS and AR and their feasibility are being framed in the literature: (a) a techno‐economic framing; (b) a social and political acceptability framing; and (c) a responsible development framing. We suggest this third frame will, and indeed should, become increasingly pertinent to the assessment, innovation, and governance of climate futures.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: afforestation,biomass energy with carbon capture and storage,feasibility,framing,greenhouse gas removal,social and political dimensions,global and planetary change,geography, planning and development,atmospheric science,sdg 13 - climate action ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2300/2306
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Science > School of Environmental Sciences
University of East Anglia Research Groups/Centres > Theme - ClimateUEA
UEA Research Groups: Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Science, Society and Sustainability
Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Centre for Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences
University of East Anglia Schools > Faculty of Science > Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research
Faculty of Science > Research Centres > Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research
Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Environmental Social Sciences
Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Collaborative Centre for Sustainable Use of the Seas
Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Marine Knowledge Exchange Network
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Depositing User: LivePure Connector
Date Deposited: 21 May 2020 00:24
Last Modified: 17 Aug 2023 21:32
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/75278
DOI: 10.1002/wcc.649

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