**3.3 The termination problem**

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 the point of view of intergenerational justice.

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 discontinued abruptly" (2011, p. 173).

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

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 intergenerational justice in geoengineering.
