The Buying Time Argument within the Solar Radiation Management Discourse

[Andrew Lockley]

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/10/13/4637

The Buying Time Argument within the Solar Radiation Management Discourse

by Frederike Neuber 1,* andKonrad Ott 2,*

1

Independent Researcher, Fohlengrund 36, D-18211 Rostock, Germany

2

Department of Environmental Philosophy and Ethics, Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Leibnizstr. 6, D-24118 Kiel, Germany

*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(13), 4637; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10134637

Received: 11 June 2020 / Revised: 27 June 2020 / Accepted: 30 June 2020 / Published: 4 July 2020

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Solar Radiation: Measurements and Modelling, Effects and Applications)

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Abstract

In this article, we will establish a version of the buying time argument (BTA) in favor of Sulphur Aerosol Injection (SAI) Climate Engineering (CE). The idea is not to promote the deployment of such scheme, but rather to present the strongest possible argument pro SAI in order to look at its presuppositions, implications, critical points and uncertainties. In discussing BTA being the only morally sound argument in favor of SAI, the stakes and the overall framework will become visible. If, however, the strongest pro-SAI argument enables us to recognize some major flaws of this technology, this option should be disregarded