Geoengineering for climate change

DANIEL BODANSKY of the Arizona State University states that geoengineering, a concept encompassing a variety of approaches to counteract the effects of greenhouse gas emissions, covering Solar radiation management (limiting sunlight reaching the earth, through such diverse techniques such as cloud whitening, stratospheric aerosol injection or space-based mirrors) and Carbon dioxide removal  (through enhanced weathering of rocks, mechanical trees, ocean fertilization) could increasingly become more salient if efforts to negotiate a new international agreement take too long to succeed. He states that unless the Kyoto Protocol could either be dramatically increased in scope or replaced by a new, more comprehensive agreement, global emissions will continue to rise and based on the current emissions trajectories, CO2 emissions could triple or quadruple by end of the century rather than double as has been currently estimated, potentially resulting in far more disastrous, non-linear effects of climate change.
In his discussion paper for the Harvard project on climate agreements, "Governing Climate Engineering: Scenarios for Analysis", he states that this has resulted in increasing interest in geoengineering solutions to address climate change and explores the various options currently available as well as costs and benefits of each approach. He highlights the lack of an international governance framework covering geoengineering activities including tasks such as developing norms to guide scientific research, allocating jurisdiction among states to regulate individuals, elaborating rules that constrain state behavior, and establishing procedures to limit conflict among states and predicts that governance of geoengineering was more likely to develop through the extension of existing treaty regimes to cover various types of geoengineering than through the development of a single comprehensive regime.

Smart urbanization

NICK PENNELL of Booz & Company recommends greater focus on urban sustainability to make a concerted effort on reducing CO2 emissions by 50% over the next 30 years through investments of $30T in energy efficient housing, construction, transportation and logistics systems, transforming cities into hotbeds of ecological innovation and improving energy security. In a study conducted jointly with the World Worldlife Fund, "Reinventing the City: Three Prerequisites for Greening Urban infrastructures", they recommend a mix of urban planning to make the right sustainable choices, innovative financing and technology to achieve global climate change goals.

China and Climate change

Joanna I Lewis, assistant professor at the Georgetown University examines the impact of climate change facing China, its implications, Beijing's response and that of the world. In an article with International Affairs, "Climate change and security: examining China’s challenges in a warming world", she states that China's national stability would come under threat if Beijing staked its future exclusively on a policy of high growth fueled by high emissions and concludes that although it was unrealistic to expect China to sacrifice economic growth to mitigate adverse effects of climate change, these two goals would converge sufficiently to avert open clash with its regional neighbors or Western trading partners.

U.S. Climate change pressure - cyclone in India

Arvind Panagariya, Professor at Columbia University, states that developed countries have chosen to play strategically on climate change by framing the negotiation in terms of mitigating commitments rather than emission rights that could let them claim the moral high ground for large cuts and yet walk away with maximum rights to pollute in the future. In an article for Brookings Institution, “Climate Change and India: Is There a Basis for U.S. Pressure?“, he calls on the developed countries to substantially cut their emissions before asking developing countries to commit to mitigation.

Positioning climate change

Does the narrative matter in international negotiations??
Arvind Subramanian of the Perterson Institute for International Economics draws lessons from the Trade Related International Property Rights (TRIPS) negotiations in the Uruguay Round of 20 years ago where the IP lobby in the US succeeded in framing the narrative in moralistic terms. This forced the developing countries to be defensive during negotiations ultimately resulting in agreements favoring the developed countries although they may have had a weaker case. In an article in the Business Standard "Climate Change-Winning the narrative" he advocates a stand for India that should at least avoid losing the battle of the climate change narrative and avoid being portrayed as the bad guy. A starting point is to offer constructive engagement.