Perspectives from India on Geoengineering

Geo-engineering technologies for deliberate and large-scale manipulation of the Earth’s climate system are receiving serious scientific and political interest in the discourse on policy instruments for limiting temperature rise to 1.5°C. While the debate on the scientific and technical feasibility of a range of geo-engineering technologies rages on, there is an urgent need for analysis of the complex ethical, social and governance issues related to research, experimentation and eventual deployment of these technologies. Our perception survey of Indian policy makers dealing with climate change has identified a number of governance concerns related to geoengineering technologies. Possible unintended consequences and 'side effects' of these technologies raises concerns of differential impacts in the vulnerable global south. Large-scale deployment of BECCS could have significant impact on food security, water resources and biodiversity. Above all, Indian policy makers are concerned about the prospect of unilateral action on geoengineering by developed nations. We examine in this article potential governance arrangements for geo-engineering technologies.