Climate Engineering: Risks, Challenges, Opportunities?
ACRONYM
SPP1689
Title
Climate Engineering: Risks, Challenges, Opportunities?
General information
The Priority Programme SPP1689 "Climate Engineering: Risks, Challenges, Opportunities" evaluates the potential effectiveness and side effects of several climate engineering methods on both short- and long-term, as well as regional and global scales. For a comprehensive assessment, the SPP 1689 considers the scientific and technical dimensions, as well as the social, political, legal and ethical aspects of climate engineering.
Three climate engineering methods, which exemplify the typical scales and characteristics of the different climate engineering ideas, are considered in the SPP 1689:
i) addition of alkaline (basic) substances to the ocean to increase the uptake of CO2 from the atmosphere;
ii) injection of aerosols into the atmosphere, to increase the reflection of solar radiation and thus counteract global warming;
iii) methods to increase terrestrial carbon sequestration.
Effects of different climate engineering methods are simulated with Earth system models. Field experiments and research to develop new climate engineering methods are not carried out.
The main objectives of the SPP 1689 are:
i) investigation of the climatic, ecological and social risks and potential effectiveness of different climate engineering methods;
ii) evaluation of the scientific and public perception of climate engineering;
iii) assessment – not development! – of climate engineering, including scientific, social, political, legal and ethical aspects.
In the 2nd phase of the SPP1689 that started in May 2016, eighteen universities and research institutes collaborate in ten projects to continue the successful work of the 1st phase.
Start
May, 2013
End
April, 2019
Funding (total)
10500000
Funding (GEOMAR)
2280000
Funding body / Programme
-
DFG
/ Priority Programme
Coordination
Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel (GEOMAR), Germany
Contact
Partners
18
