We, the members of the Advisory Committee to the Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment (SCoPEx), write to express our unanimous, unequivocal support for Dr. Louise Bedsworth, who has been serving as our committee’s Chair. In her service to the independent SCoPEx Advisory Committee, Dr. Bedsworth has led our work with sophistication and integrity. Her role has been to advise on the development of research governance for whether and, if so, how this small-scale experiment informing solar geoengineering should occur. While we regret Dr. Bedsworth has stepped down from her leadership role, we want to reaffirm that we are continuing this important work and intend to appoint a Chair in the near future.
You can read statements from Rick McCullough, Harvard Vice Provost for Research, and Frank Keutsch, Principal Investigator of SCoPEx and Stonington Professor of Engineering and Atmospheric Science, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology and Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, on the Harvard website.
The Advisory Committee is developing rigorous guidelines for scientific review of the SCoPEx project, and perhaps of more importance, designed a broad and open public engagement process we hope will become a model for solar geoengineering activities. This process is specifically designed to be inclusive of all voices, including those who actively object to efforts for solar radiation management.
In keeping with our goal of encouraging thoughtful public deliberations about the ethical, moral, political, and social dimensions of solar geoengineering research, we invite your comments, suggestions, feedback, and ideas on this proposed Societal Engagement Process. We plan to consider all viewpoints and incorporate as many of them as possible.