Universität zu Köln

Rabitz, Florian ORCID: 0000-0002-0041-2094, Feist, Marian, Honegger, Matthias, Horton, Joshua ORCID: 0000-0003-3606-6039, Jinnah, Sikina and Reynolds, Jesse ORCID: 0000-0002-0624-5741 (2022). A preliminary framework for understanding the governance of novel environmental technologies: Ambiguity, indeterminateness and drift. Earth Syst. Gov., 12. AMSTERDAM: ELSEVIER. ISSN 2589-8116

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Abstract

We propose a conceptual framework to explain why some technologies are more difficult to govern than others in global environmental governance. We start from the observation that some technologies pose transboundary environmental risks, some provide capacities for managing such risks, and some do both. For ambiguous technologies, potential risks and risk management capacities are uncertain, unknown or even unknowable. Governance systems are indeterminate towards ambiguous technologies, as existing norms, rules, scripts and routines do not imply default solutions under institutional focal points. Indeterminateness can lead to institutional drift, with risks accordingly remaining unmitigated and risk management capacities remaining unexploited. We use the cases of solar geoengineering, gene drive systems and bioinformatics for illustrating this framework. As technological ambiguity may often be irresolvable, we conclude that it might force us to confront the limits to anticipatory global decision-making on matters of long-term environmental sustainability.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Rabitz, Florian UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0002-0041-2094 UNSPECIFIED Feist, Marian UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Honegger, Matthias UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Horton, Joshua UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0003-3606-6039 UNSPECIFIED Jinnah, Sikina UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Reynolds, Jesse UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0002-0624-5741 UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-687965
DOI:	10.1016/j.esg.2022.100134
Journal or Publication Title:	Earth Syst. Gov.
Volume:	12
Date:	2022
Publisher:	ELSEVIER
Place of Publication:	AMSTERDAM
ISSN:	2589-8116
Language:	English
Faculty:	Unspecified
Divisions:	Unspecified
Subjects:	no entry
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language INFORMATION Multiple languages Environmental Studies; International Relations; Political Science; Public Administration Multiple languages
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/68796