TY - JOUR

T1 - Towards a cultural political economy of mitigation deterrence by negative emissions technologies (NETs)

AU - Markusson, Nils Olof

AU - McLaren, Duncan Peter

AU - Tyfield, David Peter

PY - 2018/10/26

Y1 - 2018/10/26

N2 - This paper offers a new theoretical perspective on the risk that geoengineeringinterventions might deter or delay mitigation (previously typically described asmoral hazard). Drawing on a brief review of mitigation deterrence (MD) in solar geoengineering, it suggests a novel analytical viewpoint going beyond and contrasting with the methodological individualist, managerialist and economist analyses common in the literature. Three distinct registers to assist identification and interpretation of situations and processes through which MD might arise are elaborated and compared. The paper shows that moving from a realist register via a cultural register to a cultural political economy register, makes it clearer how and why misperceived substitutability (between negative emissions technologies (NETs) and mitigation) and narrow climate policy goals matter for MD. We have also identified several plausible mechanisms for MD under a neoliberal political regime. The paper argues that MD cannot be overcome simply by better informing decision makers (the ‘realist’ response), or even by opening up the standard techno-economic framing of climate change and our responses (the ‘cultural’ response). The paper also concludes that the entire political regimethat has evolved alongside specific economic interests is implicated in MD, and that the likelihood and significance of MD probably remain underappreciated and understudied.

AB - This paper offers a new theoretical perspective on the risk that geoengineeringinterventions might deter or delay mitigation (previously typically described asmoral hazard). Drawing on a brief review of mitigation deterrence (MD) in solar geoengineering, it suggests a novel analytical viewpoint going beyond and contrasting with the methodological individualist, managerialist and economist analyses common in the literature. Three distinct registers to assist identification and interpretation of situations and processes through which MD might arise are elaborated and compared. The paper shows that moving from a realist register via a cultural register to a cultural political economy register, makes it clearer how and why misperceived substitutability (between negative emissions technologies (NETs) and mitigation) and narrow climate policy goals matter for MD. We have also identified several plausible mechanisms for MD under a neoliberal political regime. The paper argues that MD cannot be overcome simply by better informing decision makers (the ‘realist’ response), or even by opening up the standard techno-economic framing of climate change and our responses (the ‘cultural’ response). The paper also concludes that the entire political regimethat has evolved alongside specific economic interests is implicated in MD, and that the likelihood and significance of MD probably remain underappreciated and understudied.

KW - climate geoengineering

KW - cultural political economy

KW - mitigation deterrence

KW - moral hazard

KW - negative emissions technologies

U2 - 10.1017/sus.2018.10

DO - 10.1017/sus.2018.10

M3 - Journal article

VL - 1

JO - Global Sustainability

JF - Global Sustainability

M1 - e10

ER -