V+J: Juan Delcan and Valentina Izaguirre

The Risks of Geoengineering

Geoengineering, the intentional manipulation of the climate, is quickly emerging as a tool to address global warming. But tinkering with the climate could have world-altering consequences, and there is currently no international agreement or enforcement mechanism that addresses the use of geoengineering technologies.

RAND researchers have examined this problem and its potential solutions. The time to establish international agreements on geoengineering is now, they say, while the risks are still theoretical.

RAND artist-in-residence V+J—the artist team of Juan Delcan and Valentina Izaguirre—created a lighthearted short film that summarizes RAND's 2021 paper on this serious topic. The plot: Earth visits the doctor and learns about geoengineering, a “treatment” that could help bring down her temperature. Of course, there are serious side effects that she must consider.

Explore the RAND paper behind this piece Learn more about V+J

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RAND Insights on Geoengineering

  • Commentary

    What Are the Geopolitical Risks of Geoengineering?

    Geoengineering is the intentional manipulation of an environmental process on Earth to counteract the effects of climate change. Geoengineering implementation could introduce geopolitical risks. This raises the question of whether existing international governance mechanisms can manage these risks.

  • Essay

    Manipulating the Climate: What Are the Geopolitical Risks?

    Geoengineering technologies that could block the sun's rays or siphon huge amounts of carbon from the air are not that far out of reach. Yet the international community has not established the kinds of guardrails you might expect for potentially world-changing technologies.

About V+J

Portrait of artist team V+J.

Juan Delcan and Valentina Izaguirre, known as V+J, are an artist team based in Los Angeles, CA. They use live action, animation, and 3D techniques as a medium to create films; they also create paintings and sculpture. One of their most notable pieces is The Matchstick People, a collection of videos in which matches come to life.

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Media Inquiries

artplusdata@rand.org

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