Geoengineering/Climate Engineering

Given the clear need to inform societal decision-making on the role marine Carbon Dioxide Removal (mCDR) can play in solving the climate crisis, it is imperative that researchers begin to answer questions about its effectiveness and impacts. Yet overly hasty deployment of new ocean-based climate interventions risks harm to communities and ecosystems and could jeopardize public perception of the field as a whole. In addition, the harms, risks and benefits of mCDR efforts are unlikely to be evenly distributed. Unabated, climate change could have a devastating impact on global ecosystems and human populations, and the impacts of mCDR should be contemplated in this context.
This Code of Conduct exclusively applies to mCDR research and does not attempt to put any affiliated risk in the context of the risk of delaying climate action. Its purpose is to ensure that the impacts of mCDR research activities themselves are adequately understood and accounted for as they progress. It provides a roadmap of processes, procedures, and activities that project leads should follow to ensure that decisions regarding whether, when, where, and how to conduct mCDR research are informed by relevant ethical, scientific, economic, environmental, and regulatory considerations.

The climatic effects of climate engineering—or geoengineering—via cirrus cloud thinning are examined. Thinner cirrus clouds can allow more outgoing longwave radiation to escape to space, potentially cooling the climate. The cloud properties and climatic effects due to perturbing the ice crystal fall speed are investigated in a set of hemispheric scale sensitivity experiments with the Community Earth System Model. It is found that increasing the ice crystal fall speed, as an analog to cirrus cloud seeding, depletes high‐level clouds and reduces the longwave cloud forcing. Deliberate depletion of cirrus clouds increases outgoing longwave radiation, reduces the upper tropospheric water vapor, and cools the climate. Global cirrus cloud thinning gave a net cloud forcing change of −1.55 W m−2 and a global annual mean temperature change of −0.94 K. Though there is negligible change in the global annual mean precipitation (−0.001 mm/d), the spatially nonhomogeneous forcing induces circulati...

Economic evaluations of solar radiation management (SRM) usually assume that the temperature will be stabilized, with no economic impacts of climate change, but with possible side-effects. We know from experiments with climate models, however, that unlike emission control the spatial and temporal distributions of temperature, precipitation and wind conditions will change. Hence, SRM may have economic consequences under a stabilization of global mean temperature even if side-effects other than those related to the climatic responses are disregarded. This paper addresses the economic impacts of implementing two SRM technologies; stratospheric sulfur injection and marine cloud brightening. By the use of a computable general equilibrium model, we estimate the economic impacts of climatic responses based on the results from two earth system models, MPI-ESM and NorESM. We find that under a moderately increasing greenhouse-gas concentration path, RCP4.5, the economic benefits of implementi...

This paper delves into the intricate and evolving domain of international environmental law, focusing on the myriad agreements and policies designed to safeguard the global environment and combat climate change. Through a detailed examination of pivotal international treaties, protocols, and frameworks, this study explores their origins, objectives, mechanisms, and efficacy. The paper also identifies key challenges faced in the implementation and enforcement of these legal instruments. Case studies highlight successes and failures in environmental governance, while solutions and recommendations aim to enhance global cooperation and compliance. Ultimately, the study underscores the critical role of robust international environmental law in fostering sustainable development and mitigating the adverse impacts of climate change.

1,4-ジオキサン(DXA)の土壌環境基準項目への追加が予定されている。DXA(C2H8O2)は、水と密度がほぼ等し い常温で無色透明な液体であり、沸点が101°Cと比較的低く、水にも油にも溶けやすい、揮発性有機化合物 (VOC)である。このような性質から、溶剤として広く使用されており、過去には1,1,1-トリクロロエタン (MC)の安定剤として多量に使用されていた。DXAは、土壌中では有機物に吸着しにくく移動性が高い物質であ ると考えられ、他のVOCに比べて揮発性が低いため、土壌・地下水汚染機構に他のVOCとの違いがある可能性が ある。 著者らは、1,4-ジオキサンの土壌・地下水中での挙動特性を把握し、土壌・地下水汚染機構について考察する ことを目的として、固相-液相間および液相-気相間での分配試験および三種類の土壌カラム試験を 行った。これらの試験に用いた土壌は豊浦砂と有機質土の二種類であり、DXAと共存していることが多いと考え られるMCの挙動と比較した。 分配試験では、DXAのほとんどが土壌水中に存在し、土粒子への吸着分と間隙ガスへの揮発分が非常に少ない こと、およびMCがNAPLとして水中に存在する場合にはMC相の存在がDXAの分布に影響を与えないことが把握され た。 不飽和土壌における揮発特性を把握するための土壌カラム試験では、不飽和帯にDXA汚染土壌が存在する場 合、汚染土壌から揮発したDXAが土壌ガス中を上方に拡散する間に各深度で土壌水中に溶け込むため、表層付近 の土壌ガス中にDXAが拡散してくる可能性が低く、途中の深度で土壌溶出量が土壌環境基準を超える状態になる 場合もあることが把握された。 不飽和土壌中における降雨時の浸透特性を把握するための土壌カラム試験では、不飽和土壌中のDXAは降雨浸 透による水分の供給があればその水分中に溶解し浸透していきやすく、降雨浸透による水分の供給がなければ そのまま高濃度で存在し続けることが把握された。このことは、降雨浸透のない建屋下等ではDXAが不飽和土壌 中に高濃度で残っていた存在し続ける可能性があること、建屋等を解体して更地にしたことによりそのDXAが帯 水層まで浸透して地下水汚染を引き起こすという可能性があることを示唆している。 本研究では、不飽和帯におけるDXAの挙動特性を把握することにより、DXA...

Climate change embeds inequities and risks reinforcing these in policies for climate change remediation. In particular, with policies designed to achieve “net zero” carbon dioxide, offsets may be considered inequitable if seen to avoid or delay gross emission reductions; offsets to emissions through technologically mature methods of carbon dioxide removals (CDR) require natural resources at scales threatening food security; knowledge of the potential of immature CDR is largely a global north monopoly; and CDR in particular environments is ill-understood and its implications for development unexamined. The use of CDR to contribute to robust progress toward Paris climate goals requires global agreement on simultaneously reducing emissions and enhancing removals, equity in burden sharing, and an interdisciplinary effort led by individual jurisdictions and focused on the co-development of technologies and governance to create CDR portfolios matched to local needs.

This work discusses the potential for deployment of BECCS in Swedish basic industry as part of the portfolio of technologies and policy measures required to meet near zero emission targets. Since existing policy measures are too weak to incentivize investments in CCS/BECCS at a scale that would be in parity with the emission reductions required, and, since measures that could stimulate reductions in biogenic carbon dioxide emissions are still absent, we also explore key steps required to lay the groundwork for CCS/BECCS deployment. This includes; e.g., RD&D funding, governmental risk sharing and state funding to 1st of the kind projects, support for niche markets (e.g. through public/private procurement), market making for zero- (and/or negative-) CO2 products, and adaptation of infrastructure policies.

This study assesses changes in meteorological droughts in West Africa under a high greenhouse gas scenario, i.e., a representative concentration pathway 8.5 (RCP8.5), and under a scenario of stratospheric aerosol geoengineering (SAG) deployment. Using simulations from the Geoengineering Large Ensemble (GLENS) project that employed stratospheric sulfate aerosols injection to keep global mean surface temperature, as well as the interhemispheric and equator-to-pole temperature gradients at the 2020 level (present-day climate), we investigated the impact of SAG on meteorological droughts in West Africa. Analysis of the meteorological drought characteristics (number of drought events, drought duration, maximum length of drought events, severity of the greatest drought events and intensity of the greatest drought event) revealed that over the period from 2030–2049 and under GLENS simulations, these drought characteristics decrease in most regions in comparison to the RCP8.5 scenarios. On ...

Solar geoengineering is gaining prominence in climate change debates as an issue worth studying; for some it is even a potential future policy option. We argue here against this increasing normalization of solar geoengineering as a speculative part of the climate policy portfolio. We contend, in particular, that solar geoengineering at planetary scale is not governable in a globally inclusive and just manner within the current international political system. We therefore call upon governments and the United Nations to take immediate and effective political control over the development of solar geoengineering technologies. Specifically, we advocate for an International Non‐Use Agreement on Solar Geoengineering and outline the core elements of this proposal.This article is categorized under: Policy and Governance > International Policy Framework

This article aims to present the major innovations that are expected to occur in land transport (urban, road and rail), waterway transport, air transport and space transport in the future. What will land, waterway, air and space transportation of the future be like? The answers to this question are presented in this article.

The increasing severity of droughts/floods and worsening air quality from increasing aerosols in Asia monsoon regions are the two gravest threats facing over 60% of the world population living in Asian monsoon regions. These dual threats have fueled a large body of research in the last decade on the roles of aerosols in impacting Asian monsoon weather and climate. This paper provides a comprehensive review of studies on Asian aerosols, monsoons, and their interactions. The Asian monsoon region is a primary source of emissions of diverse species of aerosols from both anthropogenic and natural origins. The distributions of aerosol loading are strongly influenced by distinct weather and climatic regimes, which are, in turn, modulated by aerosol effects. On a continental scale, aerosols reduce surface insolation and weaken the land‐ocean thermal contrast, thus inhibiting the development of monsoons. Locally, aerosol radiative effects alter the thermodynamic stability and convective pote...

Conceptual Engineering (CE) is thought to be generally aimed at ameliorating deficient concepts. In this paper, we challenge this assumption: we argue that CE is frequently undertaken with the orthogonal aim of conceptual adaptation. We develop this thesis with reference to the interplay between technology and concepts. Emerging technologies can exert significant pressure on conceptual systems and spark ‘conceptual disruption’. For example, advances in Artificial Intelligence raise the question of whether AIs are agents or mere objects, which can be construed as a CE question regarding the concepts AGENT and OBJECT. We distinguish between three types of conceptual disruption (conceptual gaps, conceptual overlaps, and conceptual misalignments) and argue that when CE occurs to address these disruptions, its primary aim is not to improve concepts, but to retain their functional quality, or to prevent them from degrading. This is the characteristic aim of CE when undertaken in philosoph...

Shallow NV centers in partially NH2 terminated diamond for NMR sensing of DNA 梶家美貴,加藤かなみ,河合空,山野颯,Evi Suaebah,蔭浦泰資,稲葉優文,東又格,春山盛善, 谷井孝至 ,山田圭介 , 小野田忍 ,寺地徳之 ,加田渉 , 花泉修 , 磯谷順一 ,河野省三 ,川原田洋 1,6 (1.早大理工,2.量研機構,3.物材機構,4.群馬大,5.筑波大, 6.早大材研) M. Kajiya, K. Kato, S. Kawai, H. Yamano, Evi Suaebah, T. Kageura, M. Inaba, I. Higashimata, M. Haruyama, T. Tanii, K. Yamada, S. Onoda, T. Teraji, W. Kada, O. Hanaizumi, J. Isoya, S. Kono, H. Kawarada

As climate change’s risks have grown and limits to primary responses become evident, solar geoengineering (or solar radiation modification) has risen in prominence as a potential complementary response. Widespread calls for expanded research have raised objections, based on anticipated links to potential future deployment and potentially harmful interactions with other climate responses. The unique concerns raised by solar geoengineering may warrant governing associated research with more care or scrutiny than other areas, but states have not engaged the issue. Given this, we analyze the potential for nonstate actors to provide governance functions needed to enable, control, and legitimate near-term, small-scale solar geoengineering research. Drawing on the theory of regulatory processes and nonstate actors as well as evidence from other issue areas, we describe six types of nonstate actors in terms of their capacity, knowledge, and interests relevant to governing solar geoengineeri...

Shallow NV centers in partially NH2 terminated diamond for NMR sensing of DNA 梶家美貴,加藤かなみ,河合空,山野颯,Evi Suaebah,蔭浦泰資,稲葉優文,東又格,春山盛善, 谷井孝至 ,山田圭介 , 小野田忍 ,寺地徳之 ,加田渉 , 花泉修 , 磯谷順一 ,河野省三 ,川原田洋 1,6 (1.早大理工,2.量研機構,3.物材機構,4.群馬大,5.筑波大, 6.早大材研) M. Kajiya, K. Kato, S. Kawai, H. Yamano, Evi Suaebah, T. Kageura, M. Inaba, I. Higashimata, M. Haruyama, T. Tanii, K. Yamada, S. Onoda, T. Teraji, W. Kada, O. Hanaizumi, J. Isoya, S. Kono, H. Kawarada

Climate change mitigation actions, including those aimed at developing and scaling carbon dioxide removal (CDR) activities spanning the industrial, energy, and agroforestry sector, emerge in a context of internationally shared norms that include governance objectives, legal provisions and informal expectations, and societal expectations. Established governance principles provide normative orientation for policy including when targeting the development and scaling of CDR. Knowledge of these principles can guide effective discussion and evaluation of policy options. To facilitate discussion of mitigation options among experts and CDR practitioners, this study excerpts governance principles from legislative texts, the climate governance literature, and the CDR literature with relevance to CDR policy considerations. To illustrate the relevance of the governance principles found for evaluating policy options, we apply them to three technology groups of CDR: Bioenergy with Carbon Capture ...

The purposes of this study are to investigate the formation and accumulation of extra -cellular polymers (ECP) by hydrogen utilizing anaerobes under high hydrogen partial pressure conditions, which are found at bottom parts of UASB reactors. Two types of enrichment culture were obtained in which hydrogen gas was intermittently replenished as a substrate with and without sulfates. One of them is an enrichment culture of hydrogen utilizing methanogen (HUM) and the other is a mixed culture of HUM and hydrogen utilizing sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB). Effects of ammonium nitrogen and cysteine on ECP formation were investigated for each culture. A remarkable accumulation of ECP by HUM was observed at the beginning of a batch experiment. in which hydrogen gas and ammonium nitrogen were sufficiently added without cysteine. However, ECPs were not significantly accumulated in the other cases for the HUM culture and all the cases for SRB. Chemical analysis of the produced ECP suggests that E...

By increasing Earth-atmosphere system albedo, Stratospheric Aerosol Geoengineering (SAG) using sulfur dioxide is an artificial potential means, with the goal to mitigate the global warming effects. In this study, we used the simulations from Geoengineering Large Ensemble project realized under the climate change scenario of Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5 (RCP8.5), to investigate the potential impact of SAG on the Sea Surface Temperature (SST) in Equatorial Atlantic Cold Tongue (EACT) and the physical processes driving these changes. Results reveal that in the EACT region, under RCP8.5, SST warms significantly (compared to present‐day climate) with a maximum of 1.7 °C in July, and this increase in SST is mainly due to the local processes related to the weakening of vertical mixing at the base of the mixed layer. This reduction of the vertical mixing is associated to the diminution of the vertical shear from July to April and to the increase of ocean stratification from May ...