Cooling a Warming Planet? Results from Public Forums on Climate Intervention Research

The scientific uncertainties and contested values surrounding geoengineering research, particularly for a class of methods called solar radiation management (SRM), make it a prime issue for which public deliberation can provide valuable input. With SRM research advancing to the field-research phase, the Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes (CSPO), with funding support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, designed a set of public deliberations to explore questions of trust, transparency, consent, safety, collaboration, and other issues of importance related to SRM research.

During the deliberations, 171 diverse citizens discussed SRM research directions, prospective funders, and governance parameters. The deliberations demonstrate that informed lay citizens can productively discuss SRM research governance, acquiring both new knowledge and, through collective reasoning, new perspectives on the subject. Our results offer insights into some concrete constraints and conditions under which members of the public could support SRM research.

View the report here: cspo.org/research/governance-of-geoengineering-research/project-report/