Research Program Design for Rapid Decision Support for Climate Intervention

Abstract:

Assessment of climate intervention (i.e., geoengineering) techniques, including solar radiation management and carbon dioxide removal, is increasingly recognized as a necessary input to comprehensive and socially-relevant climate decisionmaking processes. Less focus has been placed on processes and activities to ensure the evidentiary base upstream of assessment is both high-quality and sufficiently substantial to encompass policy-relevant questions such as the characterization of the feasibility, risks and optimum approaches for various interventions and the projected outcomes for local regions and communities.

Here we discuss frameworks employed by research and development funding agencies to structure programs, evaluate proposals, and guide research efforts to maximize the return of decision-relevant knowledge in high time-value environments. In particular, we discuss the management of transdisciplinary workstreams and the benefits of a whole systems approach for identifying and prioritizing research activities.