James A. Moffett '29 Lectures in Ethics
"Democratically Governing Geoengineering Research"
Abstract:
“Geoengineering” refers to the deliberate large-scale manipulation of the planetary environment to counteract anthropogenic climate change. While the idea of a serious, publicly funded research program into geoengineering is gaining traction due to insufficient efforts at decarbonization, many oppose the normalization of these technologies as a policy option. There are major socio-political concerns about geoengineering research, including (1) that it will allow scientists to make transformative decisions concerning society’s future, (2) that it involves potentially catastrophic risks, and (3) that it will create a “slippery slope” toward geoengineering deployment. This paper asks how geoengineering research can be governed to mitigate these sociopolitical risks. Should the ultimate judgment over geoengineering research lie with a democratic authority, and how should such an authority be constituted? Can ordinary citizens participate effectively in geoengineering decisions, given the specialized scientific and technical expertise involved? Since some geoengineering technologies have transboundary effects, are new global governance institutions required?
Speaker:
Anna Stilz is the Kernan Robson Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to coming to Berkeley, she taught for fifteen years in the Politics Department and Center for Human Values at Princeton University.
Stilz is the founding Editor-in-Chief of Free & Equal: A Journal of Ethics and Public Affairs. She is also a Co-Editor for Political Philosophy for the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Until May 2024, Stilz was Editor-in-Chief of Philosophy and Public Affairs.
Stilz is the author of Liberal Loyalty: Freedom, Obligation, and the State (Princeton 2009), and Territorial Sovereignty: A Philosophical Exploration (Oxford 2019), as well as many articles.
"Democratically Governing Geoengineering Research"
Abstract:
“Geoengineering” refers to the deliberate large-scale manipulation of the planetary environment to counteract anthropogenic climate change. While the idea of a serious, publicly funded research program into geoengineering is gaining traction due to insufficient efforts at decarbonization, many oppose the normalization of these technologies as a policy option. There are major socio-political concerns about geoengineering research, including (1) that it will allow scientists to make transformative decisions concerning society’s future, (2) that it involves potentially catastrophic risks, and (3) that it will create a “slippery slope” toward geoengineering deployment. This paper asks how geoengineering research can be governed to mitigate these sociopolitical risks. Should the ultimate judgment over geoengineering research lie with a democratic authority, and how should such an authority be constituted? Can ordinary citizens participate effectively in geoengineering decisions, given the specialized scientific and technical expertise involved? Since some geoengineering technologies have transboundary effects, are new global governance institutions required?
Speaker:
Anna Stilz is the Kernan Robson Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to coming to Berkeley, she taught for fifteen years in the Politics Department and Center for Human Values at Princeton University.
Stilz is the founding Editor-in-Chief of Free & Equal: A Journal of Ethics and Public Affairs. She is also a Co-Editor for Political Philosophy for the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Until May 2024, Stilz was Editor-in-Chief of Philosophy and Public Affairs.
Stilz is the author of Liberal Loyalty: Freedom, Obligation, and the State (Princeton 2009), and Territorial Sovereignty: A Philosophical Exploration (Oxford 2019), as well as many articles.
Speakers
Anna Stilz, University of California, Berkeley
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