Paper short abstract:

There has recently been a significant increase in philanthropic funding for geoengineering research. This paper will reflect on this development by exploring some of the literature on the ethics of geoengineering funding.

Paper long abstract:

The idea to artificially intervene in the climate system to mitigate some of the effects of climate change has increasingly moved away from its status as "taboo topic" and seems to be gaining traction in public and policy conversations. Research into geoengineering technologies is however mostly at a very initial stage, mostly relying on computer modelling with some very limited outdoor experiments. Major funding pledges by philanthropists, and NGOs primarily funded by philanthropists, made over the last year could however radically alter this picture.

In this paper I will reflect on this development at the hand of some of the existing literature on the ethical issues around geoengineering funding. Most of this literature highlights potential negative effects and problematic tendencies non-state funding for such ideas, albeit often in a way that does not specific or spell out concrete issues with philanthropic funding itself. Apart from reflecting on the recent funding increase in geoengineering research, this paper will therefore try to clarify and categorise some specific issues around philanthropic funding of such research in general.