‘Experiment Earth?’ Reflections on a public dialogue on geoengineering

URL:

http://www.understanding-risk.org/

Abstract:

As the window of opportunity for mitigating dangerous climate change grows ever smaller, proposals to use large scale technologies to control the earth’s climate – known collectively as geoengineering – have started to be taken seriously by scientists and policy makers in the UK and elsewhere. During early 2010, the first series of major UK public engagement events on geoengineering took place – and were described in a report titled ‘Experiment Earth?’ The events were designed to provide an opportunity for members of the public to engage with these emerging technologies at a very early stage. More specifically, they aimed to gauge the public’s views on the future of research into geoengineering. This working paper reflects on the framing, process, methods and findings of the public dialogue, and offers a set of recommendations for future public engagement on this topic.