Asilomar international conference on climate intervention technologies
Encyclopedia
The Asilomar
International Conference on Climate Intervention Technologies
was a conference
developed by Dr. Margaret Leinen of the Climate Response Fund and chaired by Dr. Michael MacCracken
of the Climate Institute. The conference took place in March 2010 and the recommendations were published in November 2010. The goal was identify and minimize risks geoengineering
, and was based on the 1975 Asilomar Conference on Recombinant DNA
which discussed the potential biohazards and regulation of biotechnology. A group of over 150 scientist and engineers gathered together with lawyers, environmentalists and disaster relief workers in an open meeting to avoid accusations of consipiracy during this discussion. The Asilomar Conference focused exclusively on the development of risk reduction
guidelines for climate intervention experiments.
Asilomar Conference Grounds
Asilomar Conference Grounds is a conference center built for the YWCA in 1913 at Asilomar State Beach in Pacific Grove, California. Julia Morgan designed and built 16 of the buildings on the property, of which 11 are still standing. It became part of Asilomar State Beach and Conference Grounds in...
International Conference on Climate Intervention Technologies
Geoengineering
The concept of Geoengineering refers to the deliberate large-scale engineering and manipulation of the planetary environment to combat or counteract anthropogenic changes in atmospheric chemistry The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded in 2007 that geoengineering options, such...
was a conference
Academic conference
An academic conference or symposium is a conference for researchers to present and discuss their work. Together with academic or scientific journals, conferences provide an important channel for exchange of information between researchers.-Overview:Conferences are usually composed of various...
developed by Dr. Margaret Leinen of the Climate Response Fund and chaired by Dr. Michael MacCracken
Michael MacCracken
Michael MacCracken Michael Calvin MacCracken , has been Chief Scientist for Climate Change Programs with the Climate Institute in Washington DC since 2002; he was also elected to its Board of Directors in 2006.-Early life:...
of the Climate Institute. The conference took place in March 2010 and the recommendations were published in November 2010. The goal was identify and minimize risks geoengineering
Geoengineering
The concept of Geoengineering refers to the deliberate large-scale engineering and manipulation of the planetary environment to combat or counteract anthropogenic changes in atmospheric chemistry The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded in 2007 that geoengineering options, such...
, and was based on the 1975 Asilomar Conference on Recombinant DNA
Asilomar Conference on Recombinant DNA
The Asilomar Conference on Recombinant DNA was an influential conference organized by Paul Berg discussing the potential biohazards and regulation of biotechnology held in February 1975 at a conference center Asilomar State Beach...
which discussed the potential biohazards and regulation of biotechnology. A group of over 150 scientist and engineers gathered together with lawyers, environmentalists and disaster relief workers in an open meeting to avoid accusations of consipiracy during this discussion. The Asilomar Conference focused exclusively on the development of risk reduction
Risk reduction
Risk reduction may refer to:* Absolute risk reduction or Relative risk reduction, statistical descriptors of an intervention.* Risk management* Safety Integrity Level* Hedge...
guidelines for climate intervention experiments.
Goals of the Conference
- Identify potential risks associated with climate intervention experiments
- Propose a system to assess experiment design for potential categorical risks and suggest precautions to assure their safe conduct
- Propose voluntary standards for climate intervention research for the international scientific community
Recommendations
- The core rationale for pursuit of climate engineering research is to advance the collective well-being of society and the environment;
- Climate engineering research is internationally planned and coordinated;
- Appropriately scoped governmental oversight, public involvement, and decision-making takes place during consideration and conduct of planned activities;
- Transparency and exchange of research plans, data, and findings minimize the need for environmentally disruptive experiments and maximize the learning from experiments that are conducted; and
- Regular, independent evaluation and assessment of the extent of understanding and uncertainty is carried out to provide optimal information and confidence for the public and policymakers.
Steering Committee
- Michael C. MacCracken (chair), Climate Institute, USA
- Scott Barren, Columbia UniversityColumbia UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, USA - Roger Barry, World Data CenterWorld Data CenterThe World Data Center system was created to archive and distribute data collected from the observational programs of the 1957-1958 International Geophysical Year. Originally established in the United States, Europe, Soviet Union, and Japan, the WDC system has since expanded to other countries and...
for Glaciology and University of ColoradoUniversity of ColoradoThe University of Colorado system is a system of public universities in Colorado consisting of three universities in four campuses: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, and University of Colorado Denver in downtown Denver and at the Anschutz Medical Campus in...
, USA - Paul Crutzen (corresponding member), Max Planck Institute, Germany, and Scripps Institution of OceanographyScripps Institution of OceanographyScripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California, is one of the oldest and largest centers for ocean and earth science research, graduate training, and public service in the world...
, USA - Steven Hamburg, Chief Scientist, Environmental Defense Fund, USA
- Richard Lampitt, National Oceanography CentreNational Oceanography Centre- The National Oceanography Centre :The National Oceanography Centre is a marine science research and technology institution based on two sites in Southampton and Liverpool, United Kingdom...
and University of SouthamptonUniversity of SouthamptonThe University of Southampton is a British public university located in the city of Southampton, England, a member of the Russell Group. The origins of the university can be dated back to the founding of the Hartley Institution in 1862 by Henry Robertson Hartley. In 1902, the Institution developed...
, UK - Diana Liverman, University of ArizonaUniversity of ArizonaThe University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
, US, and Oxford University, UK - Thomas LovejoyThomas LovejoyDr. Thomas Eugene Lovejoy III is chief biodiversity adviser to the president of the World Bank, senior adviser to the president of the United Nations Foundation, and president of the Heinz Center for Science,...
, Heinz Center for Science and the Environment, USA - Gordon McBeanGordon McBeanDr. Gordon McBean is a Canadian climatologist who serves as chairman of the board of trustees of the Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences....
, The University of Western OntarioUniversity of Western OntarioThe University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...
, Canada - John Shepherd, National Oceanography Centre, University of SouthamptonUniversity of SouthamptonThe University of Southampton is a British public university located in the city of Southampton, England, a member of the Russell Group. The origins of the university can be dated back to the founding of the Hartley Institution in 1862 by Henry Robertson Hartley. In 1902, the Institution developed...
, and Tyndall CentreTyndall CentreThe Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research is an organisation based in the United Kingdom that brings together scientists, economists, engineers and social scientists to 'research, assess and communicate from a distinct trans-disciplinary perspective, the options to mitigate, and the...
for Climate Change Research, UK - Stephen Seidel, Pew Center on Global Climate ChangePew Center on Global Climate ChangeThe Center for Climate and Energy Solutions transitioned from the Pew Center on Global Climate Change in November 2011 under the leadership of its president, Eileen Claussen...
, USA - Richard SomervilleRichard SomervilleRichard C. J. Somerville is a climate scientist who is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, USA, where he has been a professor since 1979.-Early life:...
, Scripps Institution of OceanographyScripps Institution of OceanographyScripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California, is one of the oldest and largest centers for ocean and earth science research, graduate training, and public service in the world...
, University of California San Diego, USA - Tom M. L. WigleyTom WigleyTom Wigley is a climate scientist at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research . He was named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for his major contributions to climate and carbon-cycle modeling and to climate data analysis, and because he is "one of the...
, University of AdelaideUniversity of AdelaideThe University of Adelaide is a public university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third oldest university in Australia...
, Australia
External links
- http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/Shows/Doc_Zone/1242299559/ID=1664956266
- http://climateresponsefund.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=137&Itemid=81
- http://climateresponsefund.org/images/Conference/finalfinalreport.pdf