The talk explores the intersection of geoengineering and animal ethics, emphasizing the need for a non-anthropocentric perspective on geoengineering. Current climate ethics literature is criticized for being predominantly human-centered, ignoring the interests of nonhuman animals. Geoengineering, a technology aimed at counteracting climate change through large-scale environmental manipulation, also carries significant implications for nonhuman life but is debated mainly in anthropocentric terms.

In the talk, I will address the various research gaps that currently exist due to a lack of consideration of animal interests in geoengineering ethics. These include assessing geoengineering’s impacts on the well-being of individuals of numerous species, comparing it to other mitigation strategies, developing ethical principles for prioritizing interests, and discussing the implications of geoengineering for human-animal relations more broadly. The talk argues for integrating animal interests into geoengineering debates, starting with solar radiation management as a case study and using an approach of interspecies justice as an underlying framework.