German Government News from CEC14

There's plenty of politics going on here at CEC14 in Berlin.  The only newsworthy bit, however, comes from Georg Schutte, State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.  In welcoming remarks on Monday, Schutte stated that it was necessary to consider a "Plan B" in case mitigation and adaptation efforts prove insufficient.  This makes ethical research on climate engineering essential.  International regulation is also essential, but the UNFCCC is not the appropriate forum at present.  The German government, according to Schutte, does not believe that geoengineering should be placed on the international political agenda right now, but is open to helping construct international "guardrails" for geoengineering research.  Scientific research should focus on comprehensive risk assessments, feasible technologies, and demonstrable benefits.  Overall, he said, the German government wants to encourage a serious discussion of climate engineering, but not "pave the way" for eventual deployment.