Concern is now growing that the small but influential group of scientists, and their backers, may have a disproportionate effect on major decisions about geoengineering research and policy. We will need to protect ourselves from vested interests [and] be sure that choices are not influenced by parties who might make significant amounts of money through a choice to modify climate, especially using proprietary intellectual property, said Jane Long, director at large for the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the US, in a paper delivered to a recent geoengineering conference on ethics. The stakes are very high and scientists are not the best people to deal with the social, ethical or political issues that geoengineering raises, said Doug Parr, chief scientist at Greenpeace. The idea that a self-selected group should have so much influence is bizarre. Pressure to find a quick technological fix to climate change is growing as politicians fail to reach an agreement to significantly reduce emissions. In 2009-2010, the US government received requests for over $2bn(£1.2bn) of grants for geoengineering research, but spent around $100m. As well as Gates, other wealthy individuals including Sir Richard Branson, tar sands magnate Murray Edwards and the co-founder of Skype, Niklas Zennström, have funded a series of official reports into future use of the technology. Branson, who has frequently called for geoengineering to combat climate change, helped fund the Royal Societys inquiry into solar radiation management last year through his Carbon War Room charity. It is not known how much he contributed. theguardian/environment/2012/feb/06/bill-gates-climate-scientists-geoengineering
Posted on: Thu, 30 Oct 2014 01:51:59 +0000