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David Keith

@davidkeith.bsky.social
3.5K followers 133 following 169 posts

Climate science and technology policy since 1989. Building Climate Systems Engineering at UChicago. Founded Carbon Engineering. Work interferes with my climbing. Read about me and my work at davidkeith.earth

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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
On May 18–19, the UChicago Climate Systems Engineering initiative is bringing together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners for a public symposium we're calling "Frontiers in Climate Systems Engineering.” The goal is simple: rigorous analysis and open debate.
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
Enjoyed my conversation on SRM360's webinar/pod yesterday. Check it out here:
srm360.org
Live Discussion: Are Emissions Cuts on Track to Avoid Catastrophic Impacts?
Watch the recording of SRM360's live discussion on emissions cuts, projections, and the potential role of solar geoengineering (SRM).
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
Daniele Visioni and I explain our concerns about Stardust and the commercialization of climate engineering in Technology Review:
technologyreview.com
Why the for-profit race into solar geoengineering is bad for science and public trust
Two scientists argue that the growing commercial efforts to counter climate change by reflecting away sunlight will thwart responsible research in the field.
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 21/09/2025
Notice how much Ray leans on ad hominem arguments. Calling me a charlatan. So what. It's not about me or Ray. People typically resort to ad hominem attacks when their factual and ethical arguments are weak. Ray: you should do better.
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 21/09/2025
Zeke's sweet thread on our op-ed:
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 21/09/2025
Zeke Hausfather and I have an NYT op-ed out today, www.nytimes.com/2025... Here's my short blog post on the topic: davidkeith.earth/pre... 1/4
nytimes.com
Opinion | A Responsible Way to Cool the Planet
A small, carefully scaled geoengineering program could compensate for the loss of cooling as we eliminate sulfur pollution.
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 22/07/2025
Research on sunlight reflection is often driven by large or badly managed deployments. Ken Caldeira, Cael, and I invite submissions for an AGU session assessing potential harms from limited deployment. agu.confex.com/agu/agu25/pr...
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
Enjoyed my time in Cape Town last month for the Degrees Forum 2025. I had the pleasure of joining @hollyjeanbuck.bsky.social and Rose Mutiso for a plenary session on how sunlight reflection methods (SRM) fit into the broader climate response toolbox. #DGF2025 youtu.be/jlUQl6YjIjc...
youtu.be
Fitting SRM into the wider landscape
Holly Buck led a session with Rose Mutiso and David Keith focused on how SRM fits into broader discussions of climate change solutions. The session began with a survey, engaging the audience to explore their own thoughts about SRM in the context of CDR, adaptation, and mitigation. Mutiso noted that
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 04/06/2025
Can Canada afford to ignore sunlight reflection methods (SRM)? I'm joining @ldilling.bsky.social from the @envdefensefund.bsky.social for a discussion hosted by the Transition Accelerator, a major Canadian NGO focused on the climate. June 10, 12pm ET. Join the Live Q&A: transitionaccelerato...
transitionaccelerator.ca
Can We Afford to Ignore Solar Geoengineering?
Should Canada act now to build its SRM research capacity and leadership? How can we foster the local expertise and international partnerships we’ll need to control the technology should solar geoengineering become a reality?
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
Superb op-ed from Steven Pinker (@sapinker on X) calling out the right's absurd Harvard Derangement Syndrome. Harvard has some woke, but its peak has passed, and claims of many on the right are disconnected from the reality I saw as a faculty member. www.nytimes.com/2025...
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
I appreciate the way Andreas has made a careful case for strong actions such as civil disobedience to protect humans and nature. Looking fwd having Andreas join us on Energy vs Climate this morning. (Feel free to join us live) www.energyvsclimate....
energyvsclimate.com
You're Invited: Has the World Surrendered to Climate Breakdown? Andreas Malm, author of "How to Blow Up a Pipeline," on EvC May 23 at 10AM ET
"The climate crisis calls not for moderation, but for militant action." - Andreas Malm Join us for a live recording of Energy vs Climate with special guest Andreas Malm, author of How the World Surrendered to Climate Breakdown and How to Blow Up a Pipeline: Learning to Fight in a
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 22/05/2025
Smart argument against a moratorium for deployment of sunlight reflection SRM from Sue Biniaz (former top US climate negotiator) and @bodansk.bsky.social (environmental lawyer). www.justsecurity.org...
justsecurity.org
Why Global “Moratorium” on SRM Deployment Should Get a Chilly Reception
A bottom-up norm-setting approach would rectify the concerns of agreeing to a global moratorium on solar radiation management deployment.
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 21/05/2025
New high-quality survey on public attitudes toward sunlight reflection in Great Britain: 16% support SAI deployment. 46% are unsure. Younger people are more supportive overall. Interesting signals on awareness and openness to geoengineering in general. yougov.co.uk/health/...
yougov.co.uk
Dimming the sun; brightening clouds; planting forests: would Britons support geoengineering to combat climate change? | YouGov
Most Britons say a drastic change in the steps taken to combat climate change is needed in order to avert its worst effects
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
Terraforming makes me squirm. I don't want to see humans messing with another planet until we have done a much better job protecting Earth's environment.
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 19/05/2025
Is Global Cooperation on Climate Change Possible? An interesting conversation with Former Foreign Minister of Pakistan @HinaRKhar, former lead U.S. climate negotiator Sue Biniaz, and former climate advisor to Trump George Banks, moderated by Amy Harder. youtu.be/scYZzq3zVm0...
youtu.be
Is Global Cooperation on Climate Change Possible?
Experts debated the future of US climate diplomacy at an Institute event titled “Is Global Cooperation on Climate Change Possible?” on May 1. The panel featured former Foreign Minister of Pakistan Hina Rabbani Khar, former lead US climate lawyer and Principal Deputy Special Envoy for Climate Sue Bin
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 16/05/2025
Will CO2 emissions peak this year? Mainstream forecasters like @IEA, @RystadEnergy, @McKinsey, and @DNV_Group Det Norske Veritas suggest a peak in the next year or so. Climate advocates seem reluctant to embrace this good news. What do you think? Why might these forcasts be wrong?
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 12/05/2025
Excited to be in Cape Town for degreesglobalforum.org/ I last visited this part of the world in 1990, when I ended up in Mozambique during the civil war. Despite all the troubles, it's a different (mostly better) world now. Ping me for meetings.
degreesglobalforum.org
Degrees Global Forum
The 2025 Degrees Global Forum on SRM will be the largest conference to date on solar radiation modification (SRM).
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 11/05/2025
Excited to be on the RBC Disruptors podcast to discuss carbon removal and direct air capture. I did my best to deconstruct the mantra that we need to cut 10 billion tons of carbon emissions a year by 2050. thoughtleadership.rb...
thoughtleadership.rbc.com
Beyond Offsets: How to Build a Carbon Removal Industry - RBC Thought Leadership
Carbon offsets aren’t enough. To truly tackle climate change, we need a global industry dedicated to pulling carbon out of the air and at massive scale.
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
"Donald Trump Tries to Run Harvard", here's an extract from this morning's op-ed in the woke Wall Street Journal:
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Reposted by David Keith
The Degrees Initiative @degrees.ngo · 16/04/2025
25 days to go until #DGF2025... Rose Mutiso, @davidkeith.bsky.social and @hollyjeanbuck.bsky.social will be exploring how SRM fits into the wider landscape of climate mitigation, including direct air capture, adaptation and emission reductions: degreesglobalforum.org/sessions/fit...
degreesglobalforum.org
Fitting SRM into the wider landscape
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 15/04/2025
Trump's demands of Harvard are authoritarian. I am proud of Harvard's response. Harvard and similar universities have a problem with insufficient diversity of political viewpoints -- but government power over hiring and speech is precisely the wrong answer. 1/5
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 04/04/2025
Hey Yanks, here is something Canadian you can envy: the opportunity to buy a Mooshead Presidential Pack, 1,461 beers, getting you through Trump, one beer per day of a presidential term. It started as a joke, but they are selling them. mooseheadbeershop.ca...
mooseheadbeershop.ca
The Presidential Pack
1,461 473mL cans of Moosehead. Just enough Canadian Lagers to get through a full presidential term.   The Presidential Pack is only available to customers in NB, NS, & ON. Beverage container deposit & applicable taxes applied at checkout. Please enjoy responsibly. 
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 04/04/2025
Good article by @catclifford.bsky.social on our work comparing some of the risks and benefits of sulfate aerosol sunlight reflection. www.ciphernews.com/a... 1/3
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
Terrific and Topical EnergyVSClimate with @jessedjenkins.com www.energyvsclimate....
energyvsclimate.com
NEW EPISODE: The USA vs Climate - Trump's New Climate & Energy Policy with Dr. Jesse Jenkins
Trump's New Climate & Energy Policy with Dr. Jesse Jenkins, energy systems expert and professor at Princeton University. It's a lively discussion about the substantial changes to U.S. climate and energy policy under the Trump administration. Jesse, David and Ed break down the key policy reversals, their impact on U.
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
I was sitting in NOAA's Boulder lab today when people got fired. Tears in the hallway. Security escort. They fired a great young scientist. Beyond the anti-science nonsense, letting smart & cheap new hires go is an incompetent way to cut costs. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/27/c...
nytimes.com
Mass Layoffs Begin at NOAA
The cuts came just before a separate wave of departures was expected under the Trump administration’s so-called deferred resignation program.
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 11/02/2025
Article on the White Sky paper: cen.acs.org/environment/...
cen.acs.org
How solar geoengineering may change our skies
A new study simulates how the sky might look to the casual observer after stratospheric aerosol injection
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 11/02/2025
Home in Canada, feeling the cold anger against the treaty-breaking yanks. On Sunday we fantasized about Hydro Quebec pulling the plug on 2.5 GW of power flowing south during the big game. Retool the '80's AB bumper sticker (image): Eastern -> Southern
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 10/02/2025
Good article on glacial interventions: www.independent.co.u... It does a nice job summarizing options. FYI: see the "Research Vission" whitepaper from UChicago: climateengineering.u... 1/2
independent.co.uk
Scientists have some out-of-the-box ideas to save the ice caps
Scientists say glacier engineering could be a potential stopgap as the Earth passes a critical climate milestone. Others aren’t as convinced
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
Under a not so white sky: visual impacts of stratospheric aerosol injection New paper out today by Ansar Lemon TLDR: casual observers would not notice anything different about the sky in a world cooled 1 C with stratospheric sulfates. iopscience.iop.org/a... 1/6
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 02/02/2025
My solution: Trudeau vs Trump in the ring. As a Candian, I am super pissed at this yank lunacy. This is going to put a lot of folks out of work. (FYI, this Trudeau vs Brazeau boxing match helped Trudeau win the leadership.) www.youtube.com/watc... 1/2
youtube.com
Justin Trudeau -- Patrick Brazeau Charity Boxing Match -- English Coverage of Complete Fight
The fight took place at the Hampton Inn Convention Centre in Ottawa on March 31, 2012. It was a bout for the cancer charity Fight for the Cure. Live coverage in English was provided by Sun News Network. Watch Brazeau get booed for saying Trudeau hadn't managed to get him down (about the 15:05 mar
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 24/01/2025
Three takes on Trump, climate, and solar geoengineering from @JesseLReynolds, Jane Long, and me: srm360.org/perspecti... 1/2
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 24/12/2024
Catch Benedict Cumberbatch's magical reading of Kurt Vonnegut's letter to the future youtu.be/KhhTr8wH2P4... 1/4
youtu.be
Benedict Cumberbatch reads Kurt Vonnegut's letter to the future
In 1988, the great American novelist Kurt Vonnegut wrote a letter to the people of the future. Benedict Cumberbatch read this remarkably precient letter at Letters Live at London's Royal Albert Hall on 12th December 2024.
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Jesse Reynolds @jreynolds.org · 18/12/2024
Although I should not promote others' open positions when @degreesngo.bsky.social is recruiting (inc. programme director, staff scientist), this Geoengineering Law and Policy Project Director at my former home @uclalawemmett.bsky.social is a great opportunity: recruit.apo.ucla.edu/JPF10063
recruit.apo.ucla.edu
Geoengineering Law and Policy Project Director, Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, UCLA School of Law
University of California, Los Angeles is hiring. Apply now!
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 18/12/2024
New paper by @tonyharding.bsky.social in PNAS with first quantitative risk-to-risk comparison for solar geoengineering (SRM). Climate has risks that may be reduced by SRM. SRM with sulfates has risks. Q: How do the risks compare? 1/2
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
ETH is hiring faculty to work on "Geomitigation of Greenhouse Gases," AKA enhanced weathering and related. Yet another sign of increasing attention for climate engineering. ETH is building a powerhouse with this CDR search and existing work on SRM. ethz.ch/en/the-eth-z...
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 01/12/2024
Questions for @dwallacewells? We have him on our pod tomorrow.
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
Think chemtrails are a silly distraction from the "real" solar geoengineering debate? An important article from the amazing Holly Buck @hollyjeanbuck.bsky.social will make you think again. Once you know what para-environmentalism is, you can't unsee it. www.compactmag.com/a... 1/2
compactmag.com
The Rise of Green MAGA
Geoengineering is “probably as dangerous to us as climate change itself,” Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated on his podcast last year.
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 22/11/2024
@cbc-news.bsky.social's What on Earth podcast tackles solar geoengineering and @makesunsets.bsky.social. Listen here: www.cbc.ca/listen/li... Some notable takeaways from the episode (read below or check out the clip here). 1/7
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 21/11/2024
In the words of @nanr.bsky.social on X, the carbon removal tax credit proposed by Sen. Bennet and Sen. Murkowski is a big deal. Also, a sensible and significant second-best to removal purchase program or reverse auction with constraints on env. impacts www.carbonremovalalliance.org/policy-work/...
carbonremovalalliance.org
Creating a Carbon Removal Tax Credit
Creating a Carbon Removal Tax Credit: The Carbon Dioxide Removal Investment Act
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 21/11/2024
SRM360 has a great team and a clear vision. I expect it will fill a critical gap in the SRM space. Looking forward to the launch.
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 21/11/2024
Delighted to be named in @vox.com's Future Perfect 50 list along with other climate voices: @isaiashernandez.bsky.social, Vaclav Smil, Emma Håkansson, Robin Wall Kimmerer, @matthewhayek.bsky.social, and @weatherwest.bsky.social. See the whole list here: www.vox.com/future-p... 1/4
vox.com
The 2024 Future Perfect 50
Welcome to our third annual celebration of the thinkers, innovators, and changemakers who are working to make the future a better place.
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 21/11/2024
Could the ENMOD convention be a forum for negotiating solar geoengineering? Oliver Morton @Eaterofsun pens a must-read leader on solar geoengineering for the Economist. www.economist.com/th... 1/2
economist.com
A place to talk about cooling the Earth
António Guterres, secretary-general of the UN, is in a unique position to start a conversation about geoengineering. He should get the ball rolling in 2025
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 12/11/2024
"Never adjust more than one thing at a time or it will be impossible to tell which adjustment produced what result." P159 1969 Alfa Romeo Shop Manual The late Bob Cess gave me this in early 90's while doing an expert elicitation of climate sensitivity. Timeless.
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 11/11/2024
Looking for faculty jobs at UChicago working on climate engineering? The Climate Systems Engineering initiative (CSEi) is recruiting faculty across the university. Please pass this on. There are 3 pathways to a job: Path 1: Apply to a specific search- there are two active searches: 1/5
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 11/11/2024
Ken @kencaldeira.bsky.social, Bala Govindasamy, B. B. Cael, and me are running an effort to assess climate hazards that might be caused by stratospheric aerosol injection. We want your input: forms.gle/cN6aXgwBdB.... 1/2
forms.gle
Solar geoengineering: What could go wrong? A natural science perspective
We want your input on climate hazards that might be caused by stratospheric aerosol injection. Suggestions will be considered by a small group of scientists assessing solar geoengineering risks. Consider a scenario where sulfate aerosols are injected into the stratosphere. The injection rate is ramped up to achieve a peak cooling of ≤0.5°C at the time of peak radiative forcing by greenhouse gases. The injection rate is then ramped down about as fast as it was ramped up. During the ramp-up period, sulfate cooling increases by ≤0.1°C per decade. Injection is always adjusted to minimize hemispheric asymmetry. Here is a published example of one such scenario. Our questions are about the climate hazards that might arise from such a scenario. We are focusing on physical events that may harm humans or environmental systems on which humans depend, consistent with the IPCC’s definition of a climate hazard. We consider mechanisms or causal chains from the deployment of sulfate aerosols to climate hazards. Such mechanisms are limited to the natural sciences. Solar geoengineering may also cause harm mediated by sociopolitical pathways, such as the moral hazard of reduced attention to emissions cuts. These are important, perhaps more important than climate hazards, but beyond the scope of this survey. We are especially interested in any potential hazard or uncertainty that the broader literature or the scientific community has ignored so far, or is not aware of. The more of the following questions you answer, the more carefully we can evaluate your suggestion.
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 29/10/2024
UChicago’s climate institute launches Tomorrow. Livestream 2-5 Central Time with John Podesta, Michael Greenstone, Heidi Heitkamp, Shirley Meng, Paul Dabbar, Calvin Butler, Hina Rabbani Khar, Nat Keohane, Amy Harder, and me. Schedule at climatefrontiers.eve... 1/2
climatefrontiers.event.uchicago.edu
Climate Frontiers | October 30, 2024
Visit our website to learn more.
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 28/10/2024
Want to understand the difference between Canadians and Americans? Consult your can of bear spray. In Canada, it's "Back-off" while in the US, the same stuff is sold as "Counter Assault" Here's how I read the vibes... 1/4
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 23/10/2024
"We have the impression that more schemes will be proposed for climate control than for control of the climate controllers." Kellog and Schneider, 1974 in Science Fair point. (10.1126/science.186.4170.1163)
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 22/10/2024
Interesting paper: Political ideology and views toward solar geoengineering in the United States More talk of solar geoengineering --> less polarization Also, cool to see Paul @PaulOWennberg playing on the social science court www.cambridge.org/en...
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David Keith @davidkeith.bsky.social · 18/10/2024
The Climate Intervention Network is a great idea. I'm thrilled to see this is happening and excited about the progress Shuchi Talati and others are making at @sgdeliberation.bsky.social. Learn more on CIN's page: sgdeliberation.org/a...
sgdeliberation.org
Climate Intervention Network - DSG
DSG’s Youth Engagement Program is building an Early Career Researchers Network (ECRN) to provide a platform for young people to access diverse and science-based information and enable constructive engagement in deliberation about solar geoengineering (SG). 
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