A team of University of Montana researchers has been awarded a two-year National Science Foundation grant to study the ethics of solar radiation management (SRM), the intentional engineering of the earth’s climate to offset climate change.  The project brings social science research together with ethical analysis to examine the views of stakeholders from politically powerful and marginalized populations on the moral challenges associated with deliberately engineering the climate.  As part of their work, the research team and the Program on Ethics and Public Affairs hosted a three-day workshop in October of 2010 at the University of Montana. 

During breaks between sessions short interviews with a number of our speakers were conducted. Interviewees were asked to comment on the ethics of solar radiation management based on the following prompts:

–Under what conditions could you imagine proceeding with field testing and eventual deployment of SRM?

—What are the most challenging ethical issues that SRM presents?

—What steps should be taken immediately to address these challenges?

VIDEOCASTS:

• Jason Blackstock, Center for International Governance Innovation
• Ben Hale, Philosophy and Environmental Studies, University of Colorado, Boulder
• Nicole Hassoun, Department of Philosophy, Carnegie Mellon University
• David Keith, Director, ISEEE Energy and Environmental Systems Group, Departments of Chemical and Petroleum Enginering and Economics, University of Calgary
• Andrew Light, Center for American Progress and Philosophy, George Mason University
• Jane Long, Co-chair, Task Force on Geoengineering and Climate Change (NCEP) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
• Clark Miller, School of Politics and Global Studies and Associate Directory, School of Science, Policy and Outcomes, Arizona State University
• Wendy Parker, Department of Philosophy, Ohio University
• Phil Rasch, Laboratory Fellow, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
• Alan Robock, Department of Environmental Sciences, Rutgers University
• Petra Tschakert, Department of Geography, Pennsylvannia State University
• Nancy Tuana, Director, Rock Ethics Institute, Pennsylvannia State University
• Kyle Whyte, Department of Philosophy and American Indian Studies, Michigan State University