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Solar Geoengineering and Democracy

Author

Listed:
  • Joshua B. Horton
  • Jesse L. Reynolds
  • Holly Jean Buck
  • Daniel Callies
  • Stefan Schäfer
  • David W. Keith
  • Steve Rayner

Abstract

Some scientists suggest that it might be possible to reflect a portion of incoming sunlight back into space to reduce climate change and its impacts. Others argue that such solar radiation management (SRM) geoengineering is inherently incompatible with democracy. In this article, we reject this incompatibility argument. First, we counterargue that technologies such as SRM lack innate political characteristics and predetermined social effects, and that democracy need not be deliberative to serve as a standard for governance. We then rebut each of the argument’s core claims, countering that (1) democratic institutions are sufficiently resilient to manage SRM, (2) opting out of governance decisions is not a fundamental democratic right, (3) SRM may not require an undue degree of technocracy, and (4) its implementation may not concentrate power and promote authoritarianism. Although we reject the incompatibility argument, we do not argue that SRM is necessarily, or even likely to be, democratic in practice.

Suggested Citation

  • Joshua B. Horton & Jesse L. Reynolds & Holly Jean Buck & Daniel Callies & Stefan Schäfer & David W. Keith & Steve Rayner, 2018. "Solar Geoengineering and Democracy," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 18(3), pages 5-24, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:tpr:glenvp:v:18:y:2018:i:3:p:5-24
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    File URL: http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/glep_a_00466
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    Cited by:

    1. Riccardo Ghidoni & Anna Lou Abatayo & Valentina Bosetti & Marco Casari & Massimo Tavoni, 2023. "Governing Climate Geoengineering: Side Payments Are Not Enough," Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, University of Chicago Press, vol. 10(5), pages 1149-1177.
    2. Jesse L. Reynolds, 2021. "Is solar geoengineering ungovernable? A critical assessment of governance challenges identified by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 12(2), March.
    3. Toby Bolsen & Risa Palm & Russell E. Luke, 2023. "Public response to solar geoengineering: how media frames about stratospheric aerosol injection affect opinions," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 176(8), pages 1-21, August.
    4. Khara D. Grieger & Tyler Felgenhauer & Ortwin Renn & Jonathan Wiener & Mark Borsuk, 2019. "Emerging risk governance for stratospheric aerosol injection as a climate management technology," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 39(4), pages 371-382, December.
    5. Marco Grasso, 2022. "Legitimacy and procedural justice: how might stratospheric aerosol injection function in the public interest?," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 9(1), pages 1-9, December.
    6. Jack Stilgoe & Miloš Mladenović, 2022. "The politics of autonomous vehicles," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 9(1), pages 1-6, December.

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