**3.2 Moral hazard**

One of the major arguments against geoengineering is the challenge of moral hazard – the fear that geoengineering may water down the efforts at mitigation. Royal society coins the phrase "get out of jail free" ([58], p. 276) to mean the same. The ramifications of moral hazard are extensively discussed in the geoengineering debate. Moral hazard is often coined in the insurance context meaning that the security offered by the insurance coverage may trigger the confidence of the insured to venture into riskier activities. Similarly, the true or false hope in the technical solution by geoengineering may alleviate the efforts at mitigation. The assumption that there is a solution to an imminent problem will defer the aggressive measures that may otherwise be warranted in such a scenario. The luxurious life-style of the present generation is largely responsible for the ecological havocs and conservative solutions like change of life-style is called for to fix it. Now, as championed by certain proponents, if geoengineering is economically so feasible, the psychological impetus for a conservative solution naturally withers away. Such a lose commitment to mitigation by this generation means a heavy penalty upon the future generation for something which they are least responsible for.

The possible postulation of a hope of solution leads to avoiding the moral obligations towards climate change by the present generation. As for Gardiner [51] geoengineering is an evasive loophole found by the present generation to skip its moral obligations. As for the present generation, the problem of climate change is less apparent and imposing owing to factors like geographical dispersion of the various and diverse agents and effects of climate change and the pertinent scientific uncertainties about it. These are justificatory weapons of the present generation against its moral obligations. Gardiner [51], p. 408, thinks that climate change is such a problem that "provides each generation with the cover under which it can seem to be taking the problem seriously … when really it is simply exploiting its temporal position." The vices of the present generation include moral corruption – subversion of the moral discourse to one's own favour – and passing the buck to the future generations. Researching and pursuing geoengineering is an acknowledgement that the present generation has "failed to take on the challenge facing us, and instead have succumbed to moral corruption. Indeed, the decision to geo-engineer

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*The Ethical Desirability of Geoengineering: Challenges to Justice*

might reveal just how far we are prepared to go to avoid confronting climate change directly, and this may constitute a tarnishing, even blighting, evil" ([51], p. 408).

Termination problem is the possible danger of global temperature bouncing back rapidly if SAG is suddenly terminated. Scientific estimations suggest that if SAG is terminated, there is the possibility of global temperature shooting up faster than the pre-geoengineering phase. This scenario imposes serious restrictions on the choices of the future generation to combat climate change. Most ethicists consider the problem of sudden termination to be the most challenging issue from

If SRM is discontinued for unforeseen reasons, the worst case scenario is that it could result in the extinction of several species including humans. Svoboda et al. [11] used the theoretical model of Dworkin [21], Rawls [22], Sen [23], and Wigley [24], to assess the issue of intergenerational justice in the likely scenario of sudden termination. They found that in all these models there is a serious violation of intergenerational justice. According to Svoboda et al., "... intergenerational justice requires the present generation to ensure that future generations have access to food, water, shelter, and education.... any generation that implements SAG …accepts the risk that it might later be discontinued, but the subjects of this risk are the future generations who would suffer the harmful effects if SAG should be discon-

Apart from sudden termination, the long-term deployment of SRM also add to miseries of the future generations. There are scientific estimations predicting that a continuous deployment of around 500 to 1000 years may be required to contain the global warming. It means that the values and priorities of the future generations

There are serious methodological limitations in estimating the issues of intergenerational justice in geoengineering. For instance, in the given scientific scenario, it is not clear how many future generations will be impacted by geoengineering and it is impossible to determine whether a future climatic impact is due to geoengineering or due to natural reasons. The identity and population of the future generations are also unknown. Accordingly, scientific uncertainties with regard to geoengineering poses serious hazards in assessing the full scale and length of the concerns with

At this juncture it could also be asked if there are any positive factors in SRM towards facilitating intergenerational justice. After all there are voices claiming that SRM would promote equity as it is capable of avoiding the tragedy of the commons by doing away with the various forms of injustice caused by anthropogenic climate changes. It is also argued that the present generation empowers the future generation to contain the dangers of climate change by SRM [45, 46]. There are arguments that SRM would shield the future generations from otherwise future catastrophe. This is termed as the buying-time argument implying that SRM allows sufficient time for this generation and future generations to combat climate change. Thus

This observation, thought seemingly positive, is loaded with major practical challenges. The study by Burns [48] and Svoboda et al. [11] show that even in such scenarios SRM will be incompatible with intergenerational justice. Given the nature of the present international treaties on climate and environment, no law or

will be significantly conditioned by the existential challenge of SRM [11].

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.94889*

the point of view of intergenerational justice.

**3.3 The termination problem**

tinued abruptly" (2011, p. 173).

intergenerational justice in geoengineering.

**3.4 The governance challenge in intergenerational justice**

proper governance mechanism would ensure intergenerational justice.

might reveal just how far we are prepared to go to avoid confronting climate change directly, and this may constitute a tarnishing, even blighting, evil" ([51], p. 408).
