Comments on AGU Geoengineering Ethical Framework due tomorrow 8/15/2023!

[Ron Baiman]

Dear Colleagues, 

If you're so inclined, please comment (2000 characters or less) on AGU Geoengineering Ethical Framework by tomorrow 8/15/2023

See "Comment on the Draft Principles" to the right side of this link: https://www.agu.org/EthicalFramework 

The principles are IMO overly defensive.  I submitted this comment (this version slightly fixed up!):

"These principles are a welcome development that I fully support.  However, I believe that they have an overly defensive frame: A) The term “climate intervention” suggests an emergency application of measures on a system that hitherto has somehow not been “intervened into”.  The truth of course is that anything that affects the climate including GHG emissions, reducing GHG emissions, and drawing down accumulated GHG, could all be termed “climate interventions”.  I understand the usefulness of not using the more common term “geoengineering” as this connotes even more all-encompassing and hubristic human manipulation of nature, and tends to point to an exclusive focus on SAI and other high-leverage SRM direct climate cooling methods.  My own preference (and that of the Healthy Planet Action Coalition of which I am a member) is for the more positive, well-defined, but also general and inclusive term “direct climate cooling”. B) Rather than seeking to explain and justify direct climate cooling, it appears to me that it is long past time to put the ethical and moral question the other way.  The truth is that: 1) climate change is accelerating and will continue to cause increasingly catastrophic harm to humans and other living species, 2) there exist multiple direct climate cooling methods that have the potential to reduce this harm (https://www.scribd.com/document/656516741/The-Case-for-Urgent-Direct-Climate-Cooling-Final-Version-6-19-2023), and 3) current global policy that relies exclusively on greenhouse gas emissions reductions and removal to address climate change is incompatible with responsible stewardship of the planet. C) Is there any feasible way forward other than a three-pronged strategy that includes direct climate cooling along with emissions reduction and drawdown (https://www.scribd.com/document/656516741/The-Case-for-Urgent-Direct-Climate-Cooling-Final-Version-6-19-2023)?"

Thanks to the PRAG thread on this (with other examples of comments) for bringing this to my attention!

Best,

Ron

[Ron Baiman]

Dear Colleagues,

This is a response to a private communication related to my AGU comment regarding the problem with the term “climate intervention”.

“The term could include anything that humans do that impacts the climate and implies that cooling techniques are aberrational emergency measures. I see it as analogous to Neoclassical economists calling any form of planning a “market intervention”, implying that markets are normal and “natural” and all other forms of public policy are “market interventions”.  I don’t doubt that they will not change terminology, but was hoping this terminology point would help focus attention on the more important point of the need to turn the table on the ethical question!”

Best,

Ron 

Sent from my iPhone

On Aug 14, 2023, at 10:01 PM, Ron Baiman <rpba...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Ron Baiman]