Overview
Climate change is already having substantial impacts across the Asia-Pacific region and as the frequency and severity of these impacts intensifies, delivering the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) becomes increasingly challenging. UN assessments indicate that despite current government commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, they continue to rise, placing us on a trajectory of warming far beyond 1.5°C, posing increasing risks to natural and human systems and our ability to deliver sustainable development.
To address the risks from overshooting 1.5oC global warming, in addition to intensifying existing climate action responses, increasing consideration is being given to exploring climate-altering approaches to reduce risk from climate impacts. Most notably, these include techniques that aim to remove and store atmospheric carbon dioxide (Carbon Dioxide Removal) or artificially cool the planet (Solar Radiation Modification). These approaches differ in distinct ways but, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), all face uncertainties and knowledge gaps relating to their feasibility, acceptability, sustainability, and governance.
Limiting global warming to 1.5oC would help safeguard delivery of many aspects of sustainable development, including strengthening the potential to eradicate poverty and reduce inequalities. However, if international climate action continues on its current path towards global warming beyond 1.5oC, how will society effectively consider and govern what role additional new approaches may or may not play in managing climate risk in the context of delivering sustainable development?
To learn more about some of these proposed climate-altering approaches and the governance challenges they present, click on the Carbon Dioxide Removal or Solar Radiation Modification tabs in the thematic area menu above, and explore related publications, infographics, and videos in the Tools and Methodologies tab.
Background
Climate change has been steadily climbing the global policy agenda for many decades, and in 2015, the Paris Agreement on climate change was adopted in a landmark deal of the multilateral climate change process, legally binding 196 Parties together in an international treaty with the goal to limit global warming to well below 2 (and preferably 1.5) degrees Celsius as compared to pre-industrial levels. While there are many encouraging signs of increasing climate action including growing awareness and public commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a huge and persistent emissions gap remains between government commitments and what the science tells us is needed to avoid exceeding 1.5–2oC warming.
Increasing consideration is being given to additional climate-altering approaches to prevent climate change and its impacts, most notably those that aim to remove and store atmospheric carbon dioxide (Carbon Dioxide Removal) or artificially cool the planet (Solar Radiation Modification). These approaches differ in distinct ways but face common uncertainties and knowledge gaps relating to their feasibility, acceptability, sustainability, and governance.
A precautionary approach to governance considers the relative risk presented by additional climate-altering approaches such as Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) or Solar Radiation Modification (SRM) alongside, and in the context of, the risks from climate impacts without them in a world that is currently on a trajectory towards global warming overshooting 1.5oC.
Governance involves not only government but other non-state and civil society actors and, given the scale, long-term implications and potential impacts on SDG delivery that climate change and any additional climate-altering approaches represent, international cooperation will be a prerequisite for effective international consideration and governance.
To learn more about some of these proposed climate-altering approaches and the governance challenges they present, click on the Carbon Dioxide Removal or Solar Radiation Modification tabs in the thematic area menu above, and explore related publications, infographics, and videos in the Tools and Methodologies tab.
Tools and Methodologies
A range of resources addressing the governance of climate-altering approaches, covering Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) and Solar Radiation Modification (SRM), are presented by the Carnegie Climate Governance Initiative (C2G) in multiple languages, including:
- C2G CDR Resources: provides links to a range of CDR-related briefings, infographics, reports, videos, and other resource in multiple languages.
- C2G SRM Resources: provides links to a range of SRM-related briefings, infographics, reports, videos, and other resources in multiple languages.
- C2GLearn provides a selection of free-to-view videos, designed to catalyse learning about CDR, SRM, and their governance. Featuring leading international experts and practitioners, videos present a combination of basic introductions to the issues together with more in-depth discussion aiming to catalyse wider societal engagement on the tough choices ahead.
- C2GDiscuss provides a selection of free-to-view videos featuring in-depth conversations between diverse experts exploring some of the governance challenges facing CDR and SRM.
- C2GTalk provides a selection of free-to-view video interviews with influential practitioners and thought leaders, to explore the governance challenges raised by CDR and SRM. Discussions explore a range of ethical, cultural, economic, and political issues, whilst staying grounded in the practical and personal experiences of the interviewees.
The En-ROADS policy simulator presented by Climate Interactive provides a transparent, free-to-use policy simulation model that enables you to experiment with different policy options (including CDR) to explore the outcomes on limiting global warming.
Resources are also available in Chinese, French, and Spanish:
https://www.c2g2.net/chinese/
https://www.c2g2.net/espanol/
https://www.c2g2.net/francais/
Carbon Dioxide Removal
Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR), also known as negative emissions, aims to address the primary driver of climate change by removing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and ensuring its long-term storage. CDR is not a new idea, and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has always considered mitigation to include both emission reductions and removals. What is new is the scale, nature, and urgency of CDR now being considered, and what this means for its effective governance. CDR should not be confused with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) which prevents additional new CO₂ from entering the atmosphere at its point of source, whereas CDR removes existing CO₂ from the atmosphere and permanently stores it.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), all pathways to keep global warming under 1.5°C require the removal (and permanent storage) of between 100–1,000 billion tonnes of accumulated CO2 from the atmosphere by 2100. CDR techniques vary considerably in their potential, readiness, permanence, cost, and risks of negative side-effects.
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Recent analysis suggests that while CDR options can generate positive and negative local/regional impacts on various SDGs, the scale of the implementation of CDR and its related impacts are highly dependent on policy design and national planning processes. Addressing the many governance gaps faced in scaling-up CDR will be essential to ensuring that implementation at the national, regional and international levels maximizes synergies and minimizes trade-offs for sustainable development.
To learn more about Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) and its governance a range of resources can be found on the Carnegie Climate Governance (C2G) website here: https://www.c2g2.net/carbon-dioxide-removal/ and further resources can be found under the Tools and Methodologies tab.
Resources are also available in Chinese, French, and Spanish:
https://www.c2g2.net/chinese/
https://www.c2g2.net/espanol/
https://www.c2g2.net/francais/
Solar Radiation Modification
Solar radiation modification (SRM) is a theoretical approach that seeks to deliberately change the albedo of the Earth system, reflecting solar radiation (sunlight) back into space or allowing more heat to escape from the atmosphere to reduce peak temperatures resulting from climate change. Examples of proposed SRM techniques include stratospheric aerosol injection, marine cloud brightening, surface albedo modification, or cirrus cloud thinning (see the graphic here).
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SRM would not address the root cause of climate change and, as such, cannot be a substitute for reducing emissions or removing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. However, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), it could theoretically be used to supplement mitigation to keep global warming below 1.5°C and temporarily reduce the severity of near-term impacts. However, the IPCC also notes that SRM faces large uncertainties and knowledge gaps and gives rise to substantial risks. It also faces institutional and social constraints to deployment related to governance, ethics, and impacts on sustainable development.
Early analysis suggests that SRM could potentially, temporarily safeguard the pursuit of several of the SDGs, however, by altering planetary environments and introducing additional complexity and potential for conflict, it might also detract from the pursuit of the SDGs and introduce novel risks. Any consideration of SRM would therefore need to take place in a risk–risk context, where the risks of using SRM are assessed against the risks from climate change impacts without SRM in a world that is currently on a trajectory towards global warming overshooting 1.5oC.
International governance of SRM has been initially addressed in a number of intergovernmental fora and processes, but currently no comprehensive international governance framework exists, substantial governance gaps remain, and unilateral action is potentially becoming a serious SRM governance issue.
To learn more about Solar Radiation Modification (SRM) and its governance, a range of resources can be found on the Carnegie Climate Governance (C2G) website here: https://www.c2g2.net/solar-radiation-modification/ and further resources can be found under Tools and Methodologies tab.
Resources are also available in Chinese, French, and Spanish:
https://www.c2g2.net/chinese/
https://www.c2g2.net/espanol/
https://www.c2g2.net/francais/