Publication
Climate change is generating sufficient risk for nation-states and citizens throughout
the Arctic to warrant potentially radical geoengineering solutions. Currently, geoengineering
solutions such as surface albedo modification or aerosol deployment are in the early
stages of testing and development. Due to the scale of deployments necessary to enact
change, and their preliminary nature, these methods are likely to result in unforeseen
consequences. These consequences may range in severity from local ecosystem impacts
to large scale changes in available solar energy. The Arctic is an area that is experiencing
rapid change, increased development, and exploratory interest, and proposed solutions
have the potential to produce new risks to both natural and human systems. This article
examines potential security and ethical considerations of geoengineering solutions
in the Arctic from the perspectives of securitization, consequentialism, and risk
governance approaches, and argues that proactive and preemptive frameworks at the
international level, and especially the application of risk governance approaches,
will be needed to prevent or limit negative consequences resulting from geoengineering
efforts. Utilizing the unique structures already present in Arctic governance provides
novel options for addressing these concerns from both the perspective of inclusive
governance and through advancing the understanding of uncertainty analysis and precautionary
principles.