ABSTRACT
The existing landscape of multilateral environmental agreements varies in terms of their relevance to governing (largely, prohibiting) the deployment of geoengineering technologies. There is, however, a governance gap regarding R&D activities on geoengineering. No existing institution appears to have the mandate or capacity to govern the upstream process of laying down proactive research and governance mechanisms. Meanwhile, research activities are gaining momentum, even though the vast majority of researchers might currently be concentrated in a few developed countries, thus raising questions about the legitimacy of the research and exposing governance deficits. What lessons can be drawn from other international research endeavours to design coordinated scientific research in solar geoengineering?
