Progress Report
Artificial generation of upstream maritime heavy rains to govern intense-rain-induced disasters over land (AMAGOI)[9] RRI & Ethics
Progress until FY2024
1. Outline of the project
- To conduct a survey of domestic and international research trends on the ethics of geoengineering in the field of environmental ethics.
- To conduct a survey of recent trends in the ELSI (Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues) of weather control technologies through interviews with environmental ethicists in Japan and abroad.
- To identify important ELSI issues through a survey of the ethics of geoengineering in contemporary environmental ethics.
2. Outcome so far
- Identification of key ELSI issues in climate/weather geoengineering ethics research.
- The results were presented at the 23rd Annual Conference and General Meeting of the Society for Science, Technology, and Society in Japan (two doctoral candidates) and AGU 24 (American Geophysical Union 2024 Conference) (PI).
- Based on their feedback, we have written a systematic review paper on important ELSI issues in geoengineering ethics research and a paper on new ELSI issues in geoengineering ethics research, both of which are under review now.
3. Future plans
- Clarification of the historical and cultural background of each important ELSI issue in climate/weather geoengineering ethics research.
- Clarification of the historical and cultural background from both Western and Eastern perspectives.
- Implementation of workshops on the differences in awareness regarding the implications of ELSI issues.
- Implementation of a public symposium on ELSI issues in geoengineering research.
- Creation of a mind map considering cultural and regional differences regarding ELSI issues in geoengineering research.
- Selection of ELSI issues that should be particularly considered when conducting weather control research and outdoor experiments in Japan based on the mind map.