Papers by Miranda Boettcher
Frontiers in Climate, 2024
As the global community intensifies efforts to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, active ... more As the global community intensifies efforts to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, active carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is being planned alongside emission reductions. The open ocean, which already absorbs a substantial portion of anthropogenic carbon dioxide, is increasingly seen as a promising site for various types of marine CDR (mCDR). All of these approaches are in the preliminary stages of development, and many questions remain with regard to their assessment and governance. This paper discusses the potential role of the newly established Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement) in assessing and governing mCDR. A step-by-step mapping of the various stages of the BBNJ environmental impact assessment process shows that the new Clearing House Mechanism (CHM) could facilitate knowledge pluralism and contribute to the holistic assessment of mCDR proposals. The paper concludes by identifying challenges in operationalizing the CHM and putting forward recommendations to strengthen its capacity for fostering knowledge pluralism in decision-making on mCDR research and implementation. KEYWORDS ocean governance, carbon dioxide removal, environmental impact assessment, clearing house mechanism, biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction, law of the sea TYPE Perspective
SWP Foresight Working Paper, 2024
What effects would it have on German, EU and international climate policy if Trump is re-elected ... more What effects would it have on German, EU and international climate policy if Trump is re-elected and leaves the Paris Agreement? If the US/China tensions escalate? Or if the European Green Deal were not continued? Climate policy is a multifaceted field characterized by the intricate interplay between domestic, regional, supranational, and international dynamics. Thinking through the plausible future complexities of climate policy requires a comprehensive approach that considers the interconnections and synergies across these different levels. In order to enable such future thinking, two foresight workshops were carried out as part of an internal process within the SWP’s Research Cluster on Climate Policy and Politics. This working paper details how the foresight process enabled structured thinking about complex plausible (rather than probable or desirable) futures, and provided a framework for a discussion of climate policy recommendations that may be robust in the face of a range of such plausible futures.
SWP Policy Brief, 2023
Since net zero targets have become a keystone of climate policy, more thought is being given to a... more Since net zero targets have become a keystone of climate policy, more thought is being given to actively removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere while continuing to drastically reduce emissions. The ocean plays a major role in regulating the global climate by absorbing a large proportion of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions. As the challenges of land-based carbon dioxide removal (CDR) approaches are increasingly recognised, the ocean may become the new “blue” frontier for carbon removal and storage strategies in the EU and beyond. However, the ocean is not an “open frontier”; rather, it is a domain of overlapping and sometimes conflicting rights and obligations. There is a tension between the sovereign right of states to use ocean resources within their exclusive economic zones and the international obligation to protect the ocean as a global commons. The EU and its Member States need to clarify the balance between the protection and use paradigms in ocean governance when considering treating the ocean as an enhanced carbon sink or storage site.
A Code of Conduct for Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal Research, 2023
Given the clear need to inform societal decision-making on the role marine Carbon Dioxide Removal... more Given the clear need to inform societal decision-making on the role marine Carbon Dioxide Removal (mCDR) can play in solving the climate crisis, it is imperative that researchers begin to answer questions about its effectiveness and impacts. Yet overly hasty deployment of new ocean-based climate interventions risks harm to communities and ecosystems and could jeopardize public perception of the field as a whole. In addition, the harms, risks and benefits of mCDR efforts are unlikely to be evenly distributed. Unabated, climate change could have a devastating impact on global ecosystems and human populations, and the impacts of mCDR should be contemplated in this context.
This Code of Conduct exclusively applies to mCDR research and does not attempt to put any affiliated risk in the context of the risk of delaying climate action. Its purpose is to ensure that the impacts of mCDR research activities themselves are adequately understood and accounted for as they progress. It provides a roadmap of processes, procedures, and activities that project leads should follow to ensure that decisions regarding whether, when, where, and how to conduct mCDR research are informed by relevant ethical, scientific, economic, environmental, and regulatory considerations.
. In the wake of numerous propositions to trial, test or up-scale ocean alkalinity enhancement (O... more . In the wake of numerous propositions to trial, test or up-scale ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) for carbon dioxide removal (CDR), multiple social considerations have begun to be identified. To ensure that OAE research is responsible (is attentive to societal priorities) and successful (does not prematurely engender widespread social rejection), it will be critical to understand how OAE might be perceived as risky or controversial, and under what conditions it might be regarded by relevant social groups as most worthy of exploration. To facilitate the answering of these questions, this chapter: (1) characterizes what is known to date about public perceptions of OAE; (2) provides methodological suggestions on how to conduct social science research and public engagement to accompany OAE field research, and; (3) addresses how knowledge gained from social research and public engagement on OAE can be integrated into ongoing scientific, siting, and communications work.
Energy Research & Social Science
Since net-zero greenhouse gas emissions targets have become a keystone of European and German cli... more Since net-zero greenhouse gas emissions targets have become a keystone of European and German climate policy, a debate about the need to actively remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in addition to drastically reducing emissions has emerged. Although still relatively scarce, empirical studies on the emergence of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) on the political agenda have shown that variations in the constellations and positions of policy-relevant actors play a key role in shaping patterns of CDR policymaking. The German and wider European Union (EU) CDR policy space is emergent, and political actors are just beginning to position themselves. Building on our previous work which established a typology of CDR policy integration patterns and developed a discourse analytical framework for mapping CDR-policy-relevant speaker positions, we present the first fine-grained empirical reconstruction of CDR-policy-relevant actors and their positions in the German context. Our analytical approach aims to improve understanding of patterns in CDR policymaking by showing that on the EU, national, and subnational levels, a multitude of institutional actors may adopt differing positions as the CDR policy space evolves. In addition to identifying fine-grained 'ideal types' of positions that policy actors may adopt in the formative phase of German CDR policy, our analysis provides an empirical 'map' of CDR policy-relevant actors and explores hypotheses about emerging discourse coalitions and potential conflict cleavages.
SWP Working Papers, 2023
This working paper outlines processes and insights from a workshop carried out as part of work on... more This working paper outlines processes and insights from a workshop carried out as part of work on a BMBF-funded research mission on marine CO2 removal called: »CDRmare: Marine carbon sinks in decarbonisation pathways«. The research mission investigates how the carbon drawdown and storage effect of the ocean may be enhanced in the future. The objectives of the mission are: to explore and assess marine approaches to atmospheric CO2 removal (mCDR) in terms of their po-tential and environmental, economic, social and political impacts and risks in the context of responsible and sustainable use of the ocean and; to provide information to policy makers and society on future opportunities and risks of marine CO2 removal approaches and their governance. One of the proven methods for exploring plausible futures is the development of qualitative foresight scenarios. The development of such scenarios on the topic of mCDR policy frameworks cannot be a purely academic endeavour, but should involve decision-makers from the administration as well as other relevant actors from science and civil society. A 1.5-day foresight workshop was therefore held on December 8 & 9, 2022, to enable relevant actors from Germany and the EU to engage in an exploratory process to identify policy-relevant factors that could impact decision-making on mCDR in plausible future scenarios.
The formative phase of German carbon dioxide removal policy: Positioning between precaution, pragmatism and innovation, 2023
Since net-zero greenhouse gas emissions targets have become a keystone of European and German cli... more Since net-zero greenhouse gas emissions targets have become a keystone of European and German climate policy, a debate about the need to actively remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in addition to drastically reducing emissions has emerged. Although still relatively scarce, empirical studies on the emergence of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) on the political agenda have shown that variations in the constellations and positions of policy-relevant actors play a key role in shaping patterns of CDR policymaking. The German and wider European Union (EU) CDR policy space is emergent, and political actors are just beginning to position themselves. Building on our previous work which established a typology of CDR policy integration patterns and developed a discourse analytical framework for mapping CDR-policy-relevant speaker positions, we present the first fine-grained empirical reconstruction of CDR-policy-relevant actors and their positions in the German context. Our analytical approach aims to improve understanding of patterns in CDR policymaking by showing that on the EU, national, and subnational levels, a multitude of institutional actors may adopt differing positions as the CDR policy space evolves. In addition to identifying fine-grained 'ideal types' of positions that policy actors may adopt in the formative phase of German CDR policy, our analysis provides an empirical 'map' of CDR policy-relevant actors and explores hypotheses about emerging discourse coalitions and potential conflict cleavages.
Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning, 2021
ABSTRACT The Anthropocene is fundamentally altering concepts of human agency and responsibility i... more ABSTRACT The Anthropocene is fundamentally altering concepts of human agency and responsibility in the governance of the Earth system. These concepts are paramount in discussions about governing deliberate interventions into the global climate – often referred to as ‘climate engineering’. Reflections on what it might mean for humanity to ‘play God’ by controlling the climate have brought religious knowledge to bear in these discussions. Using climate engineering as a paradigmatic example of human interventions which may come to define the Anthropocene, this paper presents a sociology-of-knowledge discourse analysis of interviews with environmentally active multi-faith leaders and scholars. Showing how green religious discourse provides a blueprint for a governmentality of Socio-Ecological Care (SEC), the paper argues that religious knowledge has a role to play alongside other global systems of knowledge in reconceptualising the who, what, why and how of responsible and sustainable Earth system governance in the Anthropocene.
Environmental Science & Policy, 2022
The Anthropocene is giving rise to novel challenges for global environmental governance. The barr... more The Anthropocene is giving rise to novel challenges for global environmental governance. The barriers and opportunities shaping the ways in which some of these complex environmental challenges become governable on the global level are of increasing academic and practical relevance. In this article, we bring neo-institutionalist and post-structuralist perspectives together in an innovative framework to analyse how both institutional and discursive structures together bound and shape the global governance opportunities which become thinkable and practicable in the face of new global environmental challenges. We apply this framework to explore how governance of climate engineeringlarge scale, deliberate invention into the global climate systemis being shaped by discursive and institutional structures in three international forums: The London Convention and its Protocol, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the United Nations Environment Assembly. We illustrate that the 'degree of fit' between discursive and institutional structures made climate engineering (un)governable in each of these forums. Furthermore, we find that the 'type of fit' set the discursive and institutional conditions of possibility for what type of governance emerged in each of these cases. Based on our findings, we critically discuss the implications for the future governance of climate engineering at the global level.
Frontiers in Climate, 2020
As the international community rallies around Net-Zero emissions targets, there is increasing int... more As the international community rallies around Net-Zero emissions targets, there is increasing interest in the development of governance for Negative Emissions Technologies (NETs), a range of proposed approaches which involve removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. It has been pointed out that the governance development process should include “opening up” the discussion of NETs governance, moving the debate beyond the bounds of technocratic, neoliberal discourse and thereby paving the way for more responsible, inclusive governance of technologies. The implication is that there is a constitutive and qualitative link between discourse and governance – that governance development is shaped by discourse. However, so far there has been limited work done to link empirical mapping of the discursive structures in different spheres of the NETs debate to theoretically-informed anticipation of how these structures may influence governance development. This paper presents a sociology-of-k...
Environmental Politics, 2019
There is increasing interest in developing anticipatory governance of climate engineering (CE) re... more There is increasing interest in developing anticipatory governance of climate engineering (CE) research. Discourse is the source code with which contested futures are written, shaping how future governance options can be imagined, designed and institutionalized. 'Cracking the code' underpinning the CE research governance debate can, therefore, help anticipate and critically reflect upon the ongoing constitution of governance. I present a sociology-of-knowledge-based discourse analysis (SKAD) of a series of interviews with governance experts from the US, the UK and Germany about a proposed Code of Conduct for climate engineering research. I illustrate howby shaping what is defined as the object(s) of governance, why governance is considered necessary, and who is assigned the authority to governthe underlying discursive structure of a given governance debate can shape governance development.
Despite extensive efforts, greenhouse gases continue to be emitted in vast amounts, with potentia... more Despite extensive efforts, greenhouse gases continue to be emitted in vast amounts, with potentially devastating consequences around the world. This is why targeted interventions in the climate system, known collectively as 'climate engineering', are receiving increased attention. Proposed approaches are often divided into two groups: those intended to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and those intended to reduce the amount of solar energy that reaches the Earth's surface or is trapped in the atmosphere. There are some similarities between the two classes of activities, but they often raise different physical, political, and governance concerns. This series provides an introduction to each set of approaches.
Frontiers in Climate, 2021
As the technical and political challenges of land-based carbon dioxide removal (CDR) approaches b... more As the technical and political challenges of land-based carbon dioxide removal (CDR) approaches become more apparent, the oceans may be the new “blue” frontier for carbon drawdown strategies in climate governance. Drawing on lessons learnt from the way terrestrial carbon dioxide removal emerged, we explore increasing overall attention to marine environments and mCDR projects, and how this could manifest in four entwined knowledge systems and governance sectors. We consider how developments within and between these “frontiers” could result in different futures—where hype and over-promising around marine carbon drawdown could enable continued time-buying for the carbon economy without providing significant removals, or where reforms to modeling practices, policy development, innovation funding, and legal governance could seek co-benefits between ocean protection, economy, and climate.
Earth System Governance, 2020
An era (2005–2015) centered around the Copenhagen Accord saw the rise of several immature sociote... more An era (2005–2015) centered around the Copenhagen Accord saw the rise of several immature sociotechnical strategies currently at play: carbon capture and storage, REDD+, next-generation biofuels, shale gas, short-lived climate pollutants, carbon dioxide removal, and solar radiation management. Through a framework grounded in governmentality studies, we point out common trends in how this seemingly disparate range of strategies is emerging, evolving, and taking effect. We find that recent sociotechnical strategies reflect and reinforce governance rationalities emerging during the Copenhagen era: regime polycentrism, relative gains sought in negotiations, ‘co-benefits’ sought with other governance regimes, ‘time-buying’ or ‘bridging’ rationalities, and appeals to vulnerable demographics. However, these sociotechnical systems remain conditioned by the resilient market governmentality of the Kyoto Protocol era. Indeed, the carbon economy exercises a systemic structuring condition: While emerging climate strategies ostensibly present new tracks for signalling ambition and action, they functionally permit the delaying of comprehensive decarbonization.
Earth's Future, 2017
Ten years ago, Nobel laureate Paul Crutzen called for research into the possibility of reflecting... more Ten years ago, Nobel laureate Paul Crutzen called for research into the possibility of reflecting sunlight away from Earth by injecting sulfur particles into the stratosphere. Across academic disciplines, Crutzen's intervention caused a surge in interest in and research on proposals for what is often referred to as "geoengineering"-an unbounded set of heterogeneous proposals for intentionally intervening into the climate system to reduce the risks of climate change. To mark the 10-year anniversary of the publication of Paul Crutzen's seminal essay, this special issue reviews the developments in geoengineering research since Crutzen's intervention and reflects upon possible future directions that geoengineering research may take. In this introduction, we briefly outline the arguments made in Paul Crutzen's (2006) contribution and describe the key developments of the past 10 years. We then proceed to give an overview of some of the central issues in current discussions on geoengineering, and situate the contributions to this special issue within them. In particular, we contend that geoengineering research is characterized by an orientation toward speculative futures that fundamentally shapes how geoengineering is entering the collective imagination of scientists, policymakers, and publics, and a mode of knowledge production that recognizes the risks that may result from new knowledge and that struggles with its own socio-political dimensions. 10.1002/2016EF000521 Special Section: Crutzen +10: Reflecting upon 10 years of geoengineering research Key Points: • In the decade since Crutzen's seminal essay, the field has developed and diversified • This 10th anniversary special issue takes stock and reflects on possible future developments in geoengineering research • Contributions from a wide range of authors reflect the future-orientation and socio-political dimensions of geoengineering discussions
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Papers by Miranda Boettcher
This Code of Conduct exclusively applies to mCDR research and does not attempt to put any affiliated risk in the context of the risk of delaying climate action. Its purpose is to ensure that the impacts of mCDR research activities themselves are adequately understood and accounted for as they progress. It provides a roadmap of processes, procedures, and activities that project leads should follow to ensure that decisions regarding whether, when, where, and how to conduct mCDR research are informed by relevant ethical, scientific, economic, environmental, and regulatory considerations.
This Code of Conduct exclusively applies to mCDR research and does not attempt to put any affiliated risk in the context of the risk of delaying climate action. Its purpose is to ensure that the impacts of mCDR research activities themselves are adequately understood and accounted for as they progress. It provides a roadmap of processes, procedures, and activities that project leads should follow to ensure that decisions regarding whether, when, where, and how to conduct mCDR research are informed by relevant ethical, scientific, economic, environmental, and regulatory considerations.