Ways of seeing the climate

Abstract

This chapter addresses the ‘physical’ aspects of climate engineering. It discusses the variety of meanings that the term ‘climate’ holds, both analytically and socially, for climate engineering. Building on the history of climate science, it asks how different climate engineering researchers differ in their views on what aspects of the climate are important. How certain can scientists be, for example, in their (predictive) knowledge of the climate? This chapter outlines how different conceptions of the ‘knowability’ and predictability create different views on how feasible climate engineering could be. Climate engineering imagination drives on selectively incorporating or excluding certain layers of complexity. In this chapter, I show that different types of climate engineer prefer particular selections and reductions of complexity. As a result of these preferences, they hold different views not only on the feasibility but also on the desirability of climate engineering.