Has It Come to This?: The Promises and Perils of Geoengineering on the Brink

Geoengineering is the deliberate and large-scale intervention in the Earth's climate system in an attempt to mitigate the adverse effects of global warming. Now that climate emergency is upon us, claims that geoengineering is inevitable are rapidly proliferating. How did we get into this situation where the most extreme path now seems a plausible development? Is it an accurate representation of where we are at? Who is this “we” who is talking? What options make it onto the table? Which are left out? Whom does geoengineering serve? Why is the ensemble of projects that goes by that name so salient, even though the community of researchers and advocates is remarkably small? These are some of the questions that the thinkers contributing to this volume are exploring from perspectives ranging from sociology and geography to ethics and Indigenous studies. The editors set out this diverse collection of voices not as a monolithic, unified take on geoengineering, but as a place where creative thinkers, students, and interested environmental and social justice advocates can explore nuanced ideas in more than 240 characters. 

J. P. SAPINSKI is an assistant professor of environmental studies and public policy at Université de Moncton in Canada. His work draws from the critical political economy and power structure research traditions to map out the constellations of corporate interests involved in the politics of climate change and energy, including geoengineering politics. He is co-author of Organizing the 1%: How Corporate Power Works.
 
HOLLY JEAN BUCK is an assistant professor of environment and sustainability at the University at Buffalo, in Buffalo, NY. She is the author of After Geoengineering: Climate Tragedy, Repair, and Restoration. She has written on several aspects of climate engineering, including policy for scaling up carbon removal. 
 
ANDREAS MALM teaches human ecology at Lund University in Sweden. He is the author of Fossil Capital: The Rise of Steam Power and the Roots of Global Warming, and The Progress of This Storm: Nature and Society in a Warming World.