Avoiding a Climate Arms Race: Why We Need the Baruch Plan 2.0 for Climate Geoengineering
Speaker(s): Chalecki, E. (Associate Professor of International Relations, University of Nebraska Omaha; 2022 Fulbright Research Chair, Fulbright Canada)
Date: 18 May 2022
Speaker Session Summary
SMA hosted a speaker session with Dr. Elizabeth L. Chalecki (Associate Professor of International Relations, University of Nebraska Omaha; 2022 Fulbright Research Chair, Fulbright Canada) as part of its SMA “Anticipating the Future Operational Environment” (AFOE) Speaker Series.
Increasing climate change caused by global warming is leading to more frequent floods, droughts, and loss of coastline among other environmental disasters. These environmental disasters are erratic and affect everyone. Dr. Chalecki commented that the only area experiencing cooling is in the North Atlantic Ocean, which is being cooled by melting Artic ice sheets. One potential solution to stopping or reversing global warming is geoengineering or developing technologies that manipulate the natural environment. These technologies can potentially reflect sunlight out of the atmosphere or remove excess carbon dioxide. However, these technologies will need to be governed and overseen by comprehensive legislation, ensuring that they will not be weaponized. Dr. Chalecki argued that this can be achieved by creating a plan mirroring the Baruch Plan (1946), which attempted—and failed—to avoid a nuclear arms race after WWII.
A similar plan to Baruch Plan will potentially limit the weaponizing of geoengineering technologies before any country or actor tries. Weaponizing geoengineering technologies could give the ability to cause targeted drought, flooding, or other natural disasters to both state and non-state actors. Dr. Chalecki commented that these technologies should be taken as seriously as nuclear weapons because they are powerful, there are no counter-measures available, there is no defense against them, and there is no secrecy when they are used. Several experiments using geoengineered technology to decrease the rate of global warming have been carried out with mixed or inconclusive results. Other planned experiments have been stopped because of geopolitical issues. Dr. Chalecki emphasized that only way to measure geoengineered technologies effectiveness at keeping the earth from becoming dangerously warm is by continuing experimentation.
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