Planning: CRISES: Global Center for Participatory Assessment and Governance of Climate Intervention Research

Arizona State University, Scottsdale AZ

Investigators

Abstract

Climate intervention technologies (CIT) include several technologies in proposed, theoretical, or experimental stages that aim to modify the earth’s climate, including through the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or the reflection of sunlight into the atmosphere. Both climate change and the potential use of CIT will challenge human societies and have far reaching impacts on the natural environment. There is a high degree of uncertainty about whether such technologies would work, who would benefit and who would suffer from their use, where such technologies might be located, what their effects would be on surrounding populations, and what their impact would be to those already most vulnerable in society. The significant potential for disruption and conflict surrounding CIT leads to the importance of exploring the social dimensions of these technologies to inform how society might make decisions about them. This planning grant explores the opportunities, resources and organizations needed for creating a global research center for participatory, inclusive, and responsible governance of climate intervention technologies (CIT). The envisioned transdisciplinary center will undertake comparative empirical social science research in the global north and south to explore public views on CIT research and deployment and how this research can be integrated into governance. A central focus of the envisioned Center for Participatory Assessment and Governance of Climate Intervention Technology Research is how knowledge of geographically and demographically contingent public values and perspectives can inform collaborative decision-making on CIT research, testing, and deployment at national and global scales. The planning team uses participatory technology assessment (pTA), an inclusive and deliberative public engagement model, as an overarching framework for integrating research and practice across this center. Towards this end, the planning grant convenes core collaborators to identify pathways of inquiry along five focal research areas related to CIT: (i) Foresight and Assessment, (ii) Expert and Stakeholder Engagement, (iii) Anticipatory and Polycentric Governance, (iv) Evidence-based Decision and Policy Making, and (v) Civic and Informal Education and Training to inform a center for participatory assessment and governance of CIT. Targeted outreach through interviews, meetings or workshops with CIT researchers, developers, funders, policy stakeholders, and potential collaborators and creation of white papers will identify gaps, needs and opportunities within the five focal research areas. A wider group of collaborators will convene to assess the white papers to create an integrated, interdisciplinary, and comprehensive research agenda, and develops recommendations for a future center for research and innovation in participatory assessment and governance of CIT. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.