A Code of Conduct for Responsible Geoengineering Research

[Andrew Lockley]

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1758-5899.12845

A Code of Conduct for ResponsibleGeoengineering ResearchAnna-Maria HubertUniversity of Calgary, andUniversity of OxfordAbstractThis article explores the potential contribution of the development of a code of conduct to serve as a near-term governanceinstrument to guide the responsible conduct of geoengineering research. This idea is grounded in the observation that geo-engineering research and development processes are emerging within a polycentric governance landscape. A key feature ofsuch systems is the recognition of an overarching system of rules which, inter alia, set out the key objectives to be achieved.To this end, the article presents the results of a multi-year, transdisciplinary study that seeks to identify and describe salientlegal concepts, norms, and processes relevant to the geoengineering research governance, and discusses how the interpreta-tion and application of these may be promoted through the adoption of a exible, voluntary instrument promulgated by vari-ous state and non-state actors operating at different levels.Policy Implications•There is a strong need to promote the responsible conduct of geoengineering research through the development of exi-ble, near-term governance frameworks within the context of a polycentric governance landscape.•Geoengineering research governance could be promoted through the development and promulgation of a Code of Con-duct to serve as one near-term element in a broader governance landscape for geoengineering measures.•There is no need to reinvent the wheel: the design of geoengineering research governance should take into account rele-vant legal concepts, norms, and processes as the basis for policy experimentation and innovation.•The process of developing geoengineering research governance must involve awareness, discussion, and engagement onthe part of different experts representing a full range of disciplines, government and intergovernmental representatives,civil society, and the lay public about geoengineering research and its governance.Despite