Public perceptions of climate geoengineering: a systematic review of the literature

CR Climate Research Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsSpecials CR 73:247-264 (2017) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/cr01475 REVIEW Public perceptions of climate geoengineering: a systematic review of the literature Christopher L. Cummings1,*, Sapphire H. Lin1, Benjamin D. Trump2 1Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637718 2Department of Health Management and Policy, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109, USA *Corresponding author: ccummings@ntu.edu.sg ABSTRACT: Geoengineering is a set of proposed large-scale technological fixes designed to curb anthropogenic climate change mostly through the reduction or neutralization of greenhouse gas emissions. While this set of technologies may provide significant benefit to future society, it may also be controversial for a variety of reasons including values-based objections and uncertainties regarding the manageability and potential irreversibility of the technologies. Studies of public perceptions of geoengineering have begun to elicit responses to these proposed technologies, yet the findings of such work are scattered across many publications, and represent the work of a variety of scholars using many methods to collect data. This work provides a systematic review of empirical literature regarding the methods and results of public perception studies of 2 distinct geoengineering approaches: carbon dioxide removal and solar radiation management. Reviewing public opinion data regarding these sets of technologies can provide a stronger basis of understanding that can empower anticipatory governance initiatives, future decision-making, and risk communication. We do not analyze public opinion studies regarding carbon dioxide capture and storage, as other reviews have been recently published elsewhere. Four key themes are identified and reviewed across studies: (1) support for research and use of geoengineering, (2) risk and benefit perceptions, (3) familiarity with geoengineering, and (4) trust in governing bodies. This review also discusses methodological issues pertaining to participant sampling and framing of geoengineering technologies within the reviewed studies. KEY WORDS: Public perception · Geoengineering · Risk and benefit perception · Familiarity · Trust Full text in pdf format PreviousCite this article as: Cummings CL, Lin SH, Trump BD (2017) Public perceptions of climate geoengineering: a systematic review of the literature. Clim Res 73:247-264. https://doi.org/10.3354/cr01475 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in CR Vol. 73, No. 3. Online publication date: September 13, 2017 Print ISSN: 0936-577X; Online ISSN: 1616-1572 Copyright © 2017 Inter-Research.