At COP27, the Centre for Climate Repair at Cambridge (CCRC) will be looking to open “urgent conversations” about controversial research projects such as greenhouse gas removal and arctic refreezing.

A UN climate report said that the social, environmental and ecological impact of these projects would be uncertain, but they could be used if climate change targets are missed.

Dr Shaun Fitzgerald, who will be representing the CCRC in Sharm El-Sheikh, said that a “Plan B” is needed in the global fight against climate change, in case the 1.5° warming threshold is missed.

Dr Fitzgerald told Varsity that “we’re getting ever nearer the precipice” of the 1.5 degree temperature threshold above pre-industrial levels, agreed at the 2015 Paris Conference.

According to UN reports on emissions reductions since COP26, the planet is still on track for 2.4°C - 2.8°C of warming.

“There needs to be urgent conversations about what we’re going to do if society fails to make transformational change quickly enough”, Fitzgerald told Varsity.

At COP27, Dr Fitzgerald and the CCRC will be calling for more research funding for controversial geoengineering approaches. Fitzgerald cites “marine cloud brightening” and “stratospheric aerosol injection”. Stratospheric aerosol injection mimics the “global dimming” effects of volcanic eruptions by introducing aerosols into the stratosphere, while “marine cloud brightening” would make clouds brighter to reflect more sunlight back into space.

“All the discussion is on plan A. There is no plan B, and at the moment, there can’t be a plan B, because we just don’t know enough”, Dr Fitzgerald told Varsity.

Doubts over effectiveness and concerns over potential side-effects have caused hesitancy on emergency measures in the past.

However, commitments to research in solar geoengineering have been gathering speed recently, with the White House announcing a five-year research plan into ‘sunlight reflection’, that could temporarily limit the effects of global warming.

In Egypt, Dr Fitzgerald will discuss the option of ocean-based carbon dioxide removal. The CCRC is especially interested in research into the use of giant kelp as a method of carbon capture.

The CCRC, which is headquartered in Downing College, was founded by the UK’s former Chief Scientific Advisor Sir David King. It was formed as part of the University’s Carbon Neutral Futures Initiative and was described as a means of “engaging with forward-thinking energy companies” by the University Council at the time.