Solar geoengineering technologies have the potential to rapidly alter the global climate system. Under some circumstances, these technologies may allow the worst effects of emerging climate change to be avoided, or at least postponed. But important uncertainties also surround the climatic and social effects of these technologies, and their large-scale deployment thus carries significant risks.
This Solar Geoengineering Scenarios Workshop drew together a multidisciplinary collection of 17 academic and practitioner experts for one and a half days to explore possible futures for solar geoengineering technologies using established scenario planning methods. The report outlines the methods that were employed, and documents in detail the products of each exercise conducted, including a wide range of drivers likely to shape the future, potential “Black Swan” events, and key uncertainties that could notably reshape assumptions underlying the produced scenarios.
This conference report is published in partnership with the Yale Climate and Energy Institute.
