"An important read."The Sunday Times"A stark warning."Bibi van der Zee, The Guardian"For better and for worse, geoengineering will be part of the world's attempts to stave off climate catastrophe -- let's hope we treat this technology with the same thoughtfulness in practice as Wagner has in this book."Ian Bremmer, President and Founder of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media"This book is both a great way in to the issue for newcomers and a fun, informative read from which even those immersed in it will learn something new."Edward A. Parson, UCLA School of Law"This is a useful book for broadening the much needed conversations about the emerging approach of solar geoengineering. It is written in an accessible style, asking and providing the views of the author to many key - and some really profound - questions about these techniques that could alter the climate."Janos Pasztor, Carnegie Climate Governance Initiative (C2G)"Humanity is gambling on climate change. Gernot Wagner skillfully weaves everyday observations, game-theory, and politics into this clear, pithy introduction to carbon dioxide removal and solar radiation modification - cards that may soon be added to the gambling deck."Matthias Honegger, Perspectives Climate Research"Wagner offers an accessible and to-the-point introduction to the potential--and peril--of solar geoengineering. He is unafraid to confront head-on the governance challenges of this gamble, one that humanity may have to take to prevent dangerous climate change."Jesse Reynolds, author of The Governance of Solar Geoengineering: Managing Climate Change in the Anthropocene
Preface: Start here--But don't start with geoengineeringPart I: Incentives1. Not if, but when2. What could possibly go wrong?3. The drive to researchPart II: Scenarios4. 'Rational' climate policy5. A humanitarian cyclone crisis6. Millions of geoengineersPart III: Governance7. Green moral hazards8. Research governanceEpilogue: The inevitable gambleBibliographyNotes
Gernot Wagner teaches climate economics at NYU, co-authored Climate Shock, and writes Bloomberg's Risky Climate column. He was the founding executive director of Harvard's Solar Geoengineering Research Program and served as lead senior economist at Environmental Defense Fund. His writings appear frequently in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The Atlantic, TIME, among many others. Follow his work at gwagner.com