IPCC Expert Meeting on Geoengineering

Annex 5: Breakout Group Reports
There are a couple of publications available discussing sector-relevant issues, such as run-off, soil moisture, evaporation,
diffuse radiation and UV flux. The group noted that these effects may be the most interesting to policy makers and the
general public, although publications are limited.
There is no SRM-specific literature related to the potential for detection and attribution of SRM impacts against background
climate change (signal-to-noise). However, some literature related to, for example, volcanic eruptions and “fingerprinting”
climatic impacts can be relevant here.
Other important physical issues that might be discussed include ocean acidification, the termination problem, and the effect
of SRM on atmospheric CO 2 concentration (e.g., by carbon uptake by vegetation in a cooler world with more diffuse
radiation).
It was also mentioned that a thorough assessment of science in Working Group 1 will help the work of the authors of the
other two Working Groups.
Social and governance issues
There is a range of peer-reviewed literature, in addition to the Royal Society report (Royal Society, 2009), that addresses
the social and governance issues of SRM. However, most of this literature discusses the issues on a global, not regional
scale.
It was suggested that, overall, SRM might be further discussed as a part of the <strong>IPCC</strong> AR5 2 . Legal and governance
considerations and needs may evolve with new research and knowledge as well as with future climate conditions.
The group felt that <strong>IPCC</strong> authors might include both the governance of research and governance of implementation. It was
also acknowledged that it can often be difficult to draw a line between research and deployment of SRM. However, it
might be helpful to distinguish between the different levels of research (computer simulations, lab experiments, small scale
tests with very little impacts, large scale tests). Although there is fear that successful small scale outdoor experiments could
automatically lead to full scale deployment, many group members felt that this is unlikely without first going through a
thorough investigation of large scale impacts.
The group also discussed the potential uses of SRM. Almost all the research thus far has focused on counteracting the
effects of climate change that is, keeping the climate roughly where it is. However, SRM could also be used to meet more
specific goals, for example, to optimize agricultural production or to preserve Arctic sea ice. There is currently no literature
focusing specifically on this issue, although some papers address it to some extent.
It was also discussed that equity considerations need to be balanced. Also, an important governance issue is whether one
country or a small coalition of countries can decide to implement SRM or whether a broader consensus is required.
Ethics
There is some literature either published or coming out soon on ethical questions of SRM. These issues may also be
considered by <strong>IPCC</strong> authors.
References
The Royal Society, 2009: Geoengineering the climate: Science, governance and uncertainty. Royal Society, London, UK. 82
pp., (ISBN: 9780854037735).
2
Note of the editors: No final attempt was made to place geoengineering within the range of human responses to climate change,
including mitigation and adaption. This issue will need to be addressed in the context of the AR5.
<strong>IPCC</strong> <strong>Expert</strong> <strong>Meeting</strong> on Geoengineering - 82