Deliberating enhanced weathering: public frames, iconic ecosystems, and the governance of carbon removal at scale

Cox, Emily ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8169-3691, Spence, Elspeth ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9529-6339 and Pidgeon, Nicholas ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8991-0398 2022. Deliberating enhanced weathering: public frames, iconic ecosystems, and the governance of carbon removal at scale. Public Understanding of Science 31 (8) , pp. 960-977. 10.1177/0963662522111219

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Abstract

Meeting goals for ‘net zero’ emissions may require the removal of previously emitted carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. One proposal, enhanced rock weathering, aims to speed up the weathering processes of rocks by crushing them finely and spreading them on agricultural land. Public perceptions of enhanced rock weathering and its wider social and environmental implications will be a critical factor determining its potential; we use six 2-day deliberative workshops in England, Wales and Illinois to understand public views. Consideration of enhanced rock weathering deployment in tropical countries led participants to frame it from a social justice perspective, which had been much less prevalent when considering Western agricultural contexts, and generated assumptions of increased scale, which heightened concerns about detrimental social and environmental impacts. Risk perceptions relating to ‘messing with nature’ became amplified when participants considered enhanced rock weathering in relation to ‘iconic’ environments such as the oceans and rainforest.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	Published
Schools:	Psychology
Publisher:	SAGE Publications (UK and US)
ISSN:	0963-6625
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	21 June 2022
Date of Acceptance:	8 July 2022
Last Modified:	16 Nov 2024 04:15
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/150618

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