Climate Technologies as Emergency Solutions The role(s) of International Law

This paper discusses large-scale technologies, which are proposed as emergency solutions for avoiding catastrophic climate change. Their use is highly controversial, notably because of risks of large-scale environmental damage and the danger of distracting from other climate policies. Some of these...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Blickle, Pascal
Format: eBook
Language:English
Published: Geneva Graduate Institute Publications 2022
Series:eCahiers de l'Institut
Subjects:
Online Access:
Collection: Directory of Open Access Books - Collection details see MPG.ReNa
LEADER 02616nma a2200361 u 4500
001 EB002050754
003 EBX01000000000000001194420
005 00000000000000.0
007 cr|||||||||||||||||||||
008 220822 ||| eng
020 |a 9782940600359 
020 |a books.iheid.8557 
100 1 |a Blickle, Pascal 
245 0 0 |a Climate Technologies as Emergency Solutions  |h Elektronische Ressource  |b The role(s) of International Law 
260 |a Geneva  |b Graduate Institute Publications  |c 2022 
653 |a Conservation of the environment / bicssc 
653 |a climate engineering 
653 |a ecological damage 
653 |a international security agenda 
653 |a geoengineering 
653 |a climate change 
653 |a risks 
041 0 7 |a eng  |2 ISO 639-2 
989 |b DOAB  |a Directory of Open Access Books 
490 0 |a eCahiers de l'Institut 
500 |a Creative Commons (cc), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 
028 5 0 |a 10.4000/books.iheid.8557 
856 4 2 |u https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/85475  |z DOAB: description of the publication 
856 4 0 |u https://books.openedition.org/iheid/8557  |7 0  |x Verlag  |3 Volltext 
082 0 |a 551.6 
082 0 |a 363 
082 0 |a 620 
520 |a This paper discusses large-scale technologies, which are proposed as emergency solutions for avoiding catastrophic climate change. Their use is highly controversial, notably because of risks of large-scale environmental damage and the danger of distracting from other climate policies. Some of these technologies are known as geoengineering or climate engineering. This paper examines stratospheric aerosol injection, ocean fertilisation, and artificial islands as case studies. As the analysis of the rules of international law relevant to these three technologies shows, international law takes on different and partly conflicting roles towards such technologies. Nonetheless, a strong precautionary legal core opposing risky technological endeavours can be identified. However, there is a danger of this precautionary stance of international law being diluted by research and new regulation that make emergency technologies appear as viable policy options. International law does not currently safeguard against the promise of such technologies distracting from mitigation and adaptation. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Vahabzadeh Foundation for financially supporting the publication of best works by young researchers of the Graduate Institute, giving a priority to those who have been awarded academic prizes for their master's dissertations.