Enhanced weathering, in comparison to other geoengineering measures,
creates the possibility of a reduced cost, reduced impact way of decreasing
atmospheric carbon, with positive knock-on effects such as decreased oceanic
acidity. We argue that ethical concerns have a place alongside empirical,
political and social factors as we consider how to best respond to the critical
challenge that anthropogenic climate change poses. We review these concerns,
considering the ethical issues that arise (or w…
Read moreEnhanced weathering, in comparison to other geoengineering measures,
creates the possibility of a reduced cost, reduced impact way of decreasing
atmospheric carbon, with positive knock-on effects such as decreased oceanic
acidity. We argue that ethical concerns have a place alongside empirical,
political and social factors as we consider how to best respond to the critical
challenge that anthropogenic climate change poses. We review these concerns,
considering the ethical issues that arise (or would arise) in the large-scale
deployment of enhanced weathering. We discuss post-implementation scen-
arios, failures of collective action, the distribution of risk and externalities
and redress for damage. We also discuss issues surrounding ‘dirty hands’
(taking conventionally immoral action to avoid having to take action that is
even worse), whether enhanced weathering research might present a moral
hazard, the importance of international governance and the notion that the
implementation of large-scale enhanced weathering would reveal problematic
hubris. Ethics and scientific research interrelate in complex ways: some ethical
considerations caution against research and implementation, while others
encourage them. Indeed, the ethical perspective encourages us to think more
carefully about how, and what types of, geoengineering should be researched
and implemented