RFF Solar Geoengineering Research Project: Academic Workshop
An invitation-only RFF workshop featuring cutting-edge social science research on solar geoengineering
Register for the Event
In Person: Resources and Conservation Center
1400 16th St. NW, Washington, DC 20036
Virtual: Zoom Meeting
In-person attendees, please note that proof of vaccination will be required to enter the venue. Please contact Tyler Felgenhauer with any questions.
Event Details
At the start of 2022, eight research teams were each awarded honoraria from the RFF Solar Geoengineering Research Project to fund research on the risks, benefits, and uncertainties of solar geoengineering. The projects, supported by the LAD Climate Fund and led by scholars representing six countries, have been investigating the social science implications of this emerging set of technologies.
Join Resources for the Future (RFF) in person or virtually on Thursday, September 15, and Friday, September 16, for an invitation-only workshop hosted by the RFF Solar Geoengineering Research Project. This event will feature presentations of draft research papers from the eight teams.
The request for project proposals was sparked by a 2021 article in Science’s Policy Forum written by RFF-affiliated researchers and other prominent scholars. The authors elaborate on the need for social science research to inform the understanding, application, and implications of solar geoengineering—a policy option that, in its most studied form, would cool the planet by changing the reflecting capabilities of the atmosphere with aerosols or other materials.
At this academic workshop, we’ll hear from each author team as they present their draft papers. Along with a discussant response, there will be opportunity for audience questions and comments.
Agenda, Day 1
Note: Each paper has an hour allocated for an in-person author presentation (presenters noted in bold, 30 min), a discussant (10 min), and audience Q&A.
Thursday, September 15
8:15 a.m. EDT | Breakfast
9:00 a.m. EDT | Introductory Remarks
- Billy Pizer, Resources for the Future
9:15 a.m. EDT | Session 1
Strategy for Promoting Interdisciplinary Solar Geoengineering Research in India
- Govindasamy Bala, Indian Institute of Science
- N.H. Ravindranath, Indian Institute of Science
- Indu K. Murthy, Center for Study of Science, Technology, and Policy
- Sushma Sridhar, Indian Institute of Science
- Shuchi Talati, Alliance for Just Deliberation on Solar Geoengineering (Discussant)
10:15 a.m. EDT | Coffee Break
10:30 a.m. EDT | Session 2
Eliciting Mental Models for Understanding the Reasoning For and Against Solar Geoengineering Research
- Dale Scott Rothman, George Mason University
- Payam Aminpour, Johns Hopkins University
- Ilan Chabay, Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies
- Jennifer Helgeson, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
- Steven Gray, Michigan State University (Discussant)
11:30 a.m. EDT | Lunch
1:00 p.m. EDT | Session 3
Solar Geoengineering: Uncertain Remedies to Fight Uncertain Consequences
- Christian Traeger, University of Oslo
- Felix Meier, Kiel Institute for the World Economy
- Billy Pizer, Resources for the Future (Discussant)
2:00 p.m. EDT | Coffee Break
2:15 p.m. EDT | Session 4
Foreign Intervention in Domestic Climate Policy
- Juan Moreno-Cruz, University of Waterloo
- Anthony Harding, Harvard University
- Jonathan Wiener, Duke University (Discussant)
3:15 p.m. EDT | Session 5
International Environmental Agreements under the Threat of Solar Geoengineering
- David M. McEvoy, Appalachian State University
- Matthew McGinty, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
- Todd L. Cherry, University of Wyoming
- Stephan Kroll, Colorado State University
- Joe Aldy, RFF and Harvard University (Discussant)
4:15 p.m. EDT | Concluding Remarks
Agenda, Day 2
Friday, September 16
8:15 a.m. EDT | Breakfast
9:00 a.m. EDT | Introductory Remarks
- Billy Pizer, Resources for the Future
9:05 a.m. EDT | Session 6
Exploring the Stakeholder’s Perceptions of Solar Geoengineering in Developing Countries
- Hassaan Sipra, Freelance Data Analyst
- Athar Hussain, COMSATS University Islamabad
- Abdul Waheed, COMSATS University Islamabad
- Muhammad Shoaib, COMSATS University Islamabad
- Mike Toman, Resources for the Future (Discussant)
10:05 a.m. EDT | Session 7
Integrating Risk Perception with Climate Models to Understand the Potential Deployment of Solar Radiation Modification to Mitigate Climate Change
- Daniele Visioni, Cornell University
- Brian Beckage, University of Vermont
- Katherine Lacasse, Rhode Island College
- Kaitlin Raimi, University of Michigan
- Mariia Belaia, George Mason University (Discussant)
11:05 a.m. EDT | Coffee Break
11:20 a.m. EDT | Session 8
Global and Regional Impact of Solar Geoengineering on Temperature-Attributable Mortality
- Anthony Harding, Harvard University
- David Keith, Harvard University
- Kevin Cromar, New York University (Discussant)
