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In response to growing calls for research to explore the potential for climate engineering to provide additional options for
responding, the Asilomar International Conference on Climate Intervention Technologies was held at the Asilomar
Conference Center in California from March 22 to 26, 2010. The conference attracted a diverse group of experts from
fifteen countries on six continents. To promote the responsible conduct of research on climate engineering,
recommendations were made to adopt five principles: (1) climate engineering research should be aimed at promoting the
collective benefit of humankind and the environment; (2) governments must clarify responsibilities for, and, when
necessary, create new mechanisms for the governance and oversight of large-scale climate engineering research
activities; (3) climate-engineering research should be conducted openly and cooperatively, preferably within a framework
that has broad international support; (4) iterative, independent technical assessments of research progress will be required
to inform the public and policymakers; and (5) public participation and consultation in research planning and oversight,
assessments, and development of decision-making mechanisms and processes must be provided. The conferees
concluded that expanding and continuing the discussion with an even broader set of participants will be an essential step in
moving forward to explore the potential benefits, impacts, and implications of climate engineering.
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