UC in the City Lecture Series - Law

Karen Scott (School of Law) presents “The new Frankenstein: engineering the climate and the role of international law”.

Can geoengineering – the large scale manipulation of the Earth’s environment – save the planet from global warming? More importantly, should it? In light of the challenges associated with agreeing meaningful reductions in greenhouse gas emissions at the international level, alternative proposals – including geoengineering options – are being given increasingly serious consideration at both national and international levels of governance. These proposals include technologies designed to manage solar radiation or enhance the Earth’s albedo by injecting sulphur or other reflective particles into the atmosphere or by placing sunshades or strategically positioned mirrors in outer space. Other geoengineering solutions seek to promote the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through ocean fertilization or weathering techniques or as a result of the manipulation of sea-ice.

No longer confined to the fringes of science and policy, geoengineering, as a climate change mitigation measure, arguably constitutes one of the greatest challenges to international regulators this century. This lecture will explore the extent to which international law is able to respond to this challenge. Do we possess an appropriate forum to discuss the ethical, legal and policy issues associated with geoengineering? Can we stop states, companies and even super-rich individuals from unilaterally geoenginneering the climate without the consent of the international community? Do we have the right legal tools to help us decide when (if ever) to deploy these technologies and under what conditions? And ultimately: who should get to decide that the solution to climate change and a warming planet lies in the (further) deliberate manipulation of our natural environment?

Karen Scott is a senior lecturer in the School of Law at the University of Canterbury. She teaches and researches in the areas of public international law, international environmental law, the law of the sea and Antarctic law and policy. Karen has published widely in leading international law journals on a broad range of topics connected to her research areas. Recent publications include articles on Antarctic governance in the 21st Century (in the 2009 Yearbook of International Environmental Law), maritime safety in the Southern Ocean (in the 2010 Journal of International Maritime Law), the Polar regions and climate change (in the 2009 Melbourne Journal of International Law) and compliance mechanisms under international environmental agreements (in French, Saul and White (eds) International law and Dispute Settlement (Hart, 2010)). Karen is currently a co-organiser (with Professor Don Rothwell, ANU) of an international project focusing on Antarctic security and she recently co-convened that project’s second workshop, which was held in Canberra in June 2010. She also co-convened (with Joanna Mossop, Victoria University, Wellington) a panel on improving policy and legal integration in oceans governance at the UNESCO 5th Global Conference on Oceans, Coasts and Islands in Paris in April 2010. Karen is the Editor of the New Zealand Yearbook of International Law and is a member of the Council of the Australia and New Zealand Society of International Law.

The lecture is part of the 2010 UC in the City lecture series which showcases research coming out of the University's colleges, schools and research centres. Entry is free. As seating is limited, please arrive early to ensure your seat in the Philip Carter Family Auditorium.

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