As governments, industry and civil society struggle to achieve the necessary emission reductions to address climate change, scientists are increasingly looking at new technological pathways such as direct carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere, solar geoengineering (cooling the planet by reflecting heat away from the Earth) and the use of sophisticated satellite technologies capable of monitoring greenhouse gas emissions remotely. While a broader portfolio of climate response actions and compliance tools may significantly contribute to meeting global climate objectives of limiting warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, these technologies come with considerable physical, social and governance risks.
This talk, led by climate law experts Timiebi Aganaba-Jeanty and Neil Craik, explored the international legal and ethical dimensions of these important but controversial technology pathways and considered how Canada might approach the governance challenges connected to these technologies.