摘要：Climate engineering (CE), the intentional modification of the climate in order to reduce the
effects of increasing greenhouse gas concentrations, is sometimes touted as a potential
response to climate change. Increasing interest in the topic has led to proposals for
empirical tests of hypothesized CE techniques, which raise serious ethical concerns. We
propose three ethical guidelines for CE researchers, derived from the ethics literature on
research with human and animal subjects, applicable in the event that CE research
progresses beyond computer modeling. The Principle of Respect requires that the scientific
community secure the global public's consent, voiced through their governmental
representatives, before beginning any empirical research. The Principle of Beneficence and
Justice requires that researchers strive for a favorable risk–benefit ratio and a
fair distribution of risks and anticipated benefits, all while protecting the basic
rights of affected individuals. Finally, the Minimization Principle requires that
researchers minimize the extent and intensity of each experiment by ensuring that no
experiments last longer, cover a greater geographical extent, or have a greater impact on
the climate, ecosystem, or human welfare than is necessary to test the specific
hypotheses in question. Field experiments that might affect humans or ecosystems in
significant ways should not proceed until a full discussion of the ethics of CE research
occurs and appropriate institutions for regulating such experiments are established.
