van Hemer, Mieke (2016): Speculative promise as a driver in climate engineering research. The case of Paul Crutzen’s back-of-the-envelope calculation on solar dimming with sulfate aerosols. In Futures. DOI 10.1016/j.futures.2016.11.006.

"In this paper, I study the generative role of speculative promise in climate engineering research. My analysis operationalizes Alfred Nordmann’s call for a ‘forensics of wishing’, a variety of technology assessment which scrutinizes the politics of anticipation in technoscience. Using scientific articles and reports as primary sources I trace the uptake and contestation of bold claims made by atmospheric scientist Paul Crutzen a decade ago."

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"One approach gaining traction in recent years is generating bioenergy along with carbon capture and storage, known by the acronym “BECCS.” Some argue that BECCS occupies a key role in the global plan to fight climate change. Although regarded as one of the most viable, cost-effective negative emissions technologies, there are still multiple major challenges to its widespread implementation."

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"This piece is adapted from a response in a longer thread of conversation on the topic of “Interdisciplinary collaboration in geoengineering research,” on the very active Geoengineering Google Group, which is open to the public."

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Jones, C. D.; Ciais, P.; Davis, S. J.; Friedlingstein, P.; Gasser, T.; Peters, G. P. et al. (2016): Simulating the Earth system response to negative emissions. In Environ. Res. Lett. 11 (9), p. 95012–95012. DOI 10.1088/1748-9326/11/9/095012.

"A key requirement for low carbon pathways is to quantify the effectiveness of negative emissions technologies which will be strongly affected by carbon cycle feedbacks. Here we find that Earth system models suggest significant weakening, even potential reversal, of the ocean and land sinks under future low emission scenarios."

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