The Oxford Geoengineering Programme has announced the results of a funding round designed to encourage research into different aspects of geoengineering. Three diverse projects will each receive a share of £60,000 to conduct studies into the feasibility of large-scale intervention in the Earth's natural systems to address climate change. The projects are:
- "Assessment of Cloud Modification Proposals for Geoengineering" will deliver a quantitative assessment of solar radiation management proposals through cloud modification. The research will be led by Dr Philip Stier.
- "Locating Oxford Geoengineering" will focus on enhancing and consolidating Oxford's world-leading position on geoengineering governance. The research will be led by Dr Peter Healey.
- "Engineering and Resource Constraints of CDR Schemes: Assessing The Little Details With Big Implications" which seeks to identify the resource limitations of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) schemes by employing chemical and process engineering techniques. The research will be led by Dr Alex Lubansky.
The Oxford Geoengineering Programme is a recent initiative of the Oxford Martin School, which seeks to assess the technical and social issues associated with all proposed geoengineering techniques to determine which, if any, of them could be employed without creating countervailing side-effects. The Programme is gearing up its research activity, and two Post Doctoral Research Assistants have recently been appointed:
Dr Phil Renforth will conduct research on assessing enhanced weathering techniques which aim to accelerate the natural processes that draw down carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as minerals weather. He will be working at the interface between Earth Sciences and Engineering.
Dr Clare Heywardd will conduct research into the ethical and governance issues associated with the broad range of proposed geoengineering techniques. She will be working at the interface between the governance and ethics of climate intervention.