Climate science and technology policy since 1989. Building Climate Systems Engineering @UChicago. Founded Carbon Engineering. Bluesky: @davidkeith.bsky.social
2/3 Chicago & 1/3 Canmore
Joined September 2015
- Tweets3.2K
- Following210
- Followers9.6K
- Likes885
Pinned Tweet
New paper: "Solar Geoengineering: History, Methods, Governance, Prospects" by @parson_ted & me in Annual Reviews.
Full text at: davidkeith.earth/publication…
I am particularly proud of this paper. This thread provides some highlights:
1/8
Proud of the @UChicago undergrads who designed and built PASCAL, an instrument to measure stratospheric aerosols, and got it flying on @NASA’s HASP balloon at 37 km. The flight was cut short, but it opens a pathway to a new way to measure them. climateengineering.uchicago.…
Today I’m in Reykjavík for a major meeting on climate stabilization (aka geoengineering). After almost 40 years working on these topics, it’s a thrill to see so many new faces and new ideas. globalstabilization.org/
Shout out to CMU's Engineering & Public Policy dept, which quite literally made my career. @CMU_EPP alums here: @JaiAsundi (runs @CSTEP_India, ~200-person thinktank, Bangalore), Shuchi Talati (runs Alliance for Just Deliberation on Solar Geoengineering), @katericke (Scripps/UCSD)
My wife, Kirsten Anderson, and I are finally getting organized about giving away the money we made when Carbon Engineering was sold. Our platform is Luminen, Finnish for snow-covered, after our love of the cold outdoors. Learn more: luminen.ca/
1/3
After a career spent almost entirely on climate, I’m excited to work on reducing the risk of nuclear war. This week in Ottawa we’re convening a wide range of activists on nuclear security and disarmament, hoping to help accelerate their work in Canada.
2/3
What’s “Climate Systems Engineering”? Ben Peltz and I explain why @UChicago uses the term in a new essay on @SRM360_org: srm360.org/perspective/what-…
As I head to Iceland to talk “climate stabilization,” here’s why we prefer our term:
Stabilization is a fine policy goal, but a poor name for a field. It excludes decarbonization, which is central to any real stabilization. And it lumps slow, durable carbon removal with fast-acting sunlight reflection, blurring distinctions that matter.
Renaming won’t make solar geo less controversial. As @sapinker's “euphemism treadmill” shows, stigmas follows the concept not the word. Researchers should pick names close to value-neutral. “Climate systems engineering” describes a discipline, not a goal.
nytimes.com/1994/04/05/opini…
On May 18–19, the @UChicago Climate Systems Engineering initiative is bringing together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners for a public symposium we're calling "Frontiers in Climate Systems Engineering.”
The goal is simple: rigorous analysis and open debate.
May 18 starts with an introductory overview and policy discussions. Presentations on May 19 will be tilted towards science and technology with more expert-oriented discussions.
If you’re interested in how these ideas are evolving and how they might (or might not) fit into climate policy, I hope you’ll join us.
Register and learn more here: climateengineering.uchicago.…
Enjoyed my conversation on SRM360's webinar/pod yesterday. Check it out here:
srm360.org/video/emissions-c…
Daniele Visioni and I explain our concerns about Stardust and the commercialization of climate engineering in Technology Review:
technologyreview.com/2025/11…
Zeke Hausfather and I have an NYT op-ed out today, nytimes.com/2025/09/21/opini…
Here's my short blog post on the topic: davidkeith.earth/preserving-…
1/4
First, it ties use of SRM to clean up of pollution, and since this pollution is mostly from burning fossil fuels, this is roughly equivalent to tying use of SRM to cuts in fossil fuels; and second, it provides a non-arbitrary fixed upper limit on how much SRM can be deployed.
3/4
One can imagine this rule is simple enough to be useful in international negotiations over sunlight reflection.
My prior NYT op-ed's on this topic: davidkeith.earth/the-new-yor…, and nytimes.com/2008/09/20/opini…
4/4
Enjoyed Cape Town last month at the @DegreesNGO Forum 2025. I had the pleasure of joining @hollyjeanbuck and @MutisoRose for a plenary session on how sunlight reflection methods (SRM) fit into the broader climate response toolbox. #DGF2025 youtu.be/jlUQl6YjIjc?si=-Im9…
Rose Mutiso is a great rising voice in the climate and energy space, and I recently spoke with her about the energy transition in Africa on my Energy vs Climate podcast: youtu.be/DjOcyXPxaoc?si=ujp-…
Rose's Ted Talk on the subject is also a must watch: youtu.be/77HUdJ7Tij0?si=Svh4…
And Holly Buck is a powerful writer on geoengineering. See her book "After Geoengineering." Also, her article "The Rise of Green MAGA" is essential reading for the current political environment: compactmag.com/article/the-r…
Here's Holly on our pod: energyvsclimate.com/rise-of-…
