Are Climate Geoengineering Technologies Being Patented? An Overview

Efforts to address anthropogenic climate change have been focused sensibly on mitigation and adaptation. However, given the difficulties in the implementation of a rapid global mitigation process, increasing attention is being given to geoengineering as a way to countervail some of the climate change impacts. This development has increased the private investment in geoengineering research in the last few years, leading to patent filing. The article examines the recent evolution of patents in the emerging field of geoengineering technologies. Despite the secrecy surrounding the field of geoengineering, especially solar radiation management at the state level, patent databases provide transparency, offering technical details, market insights, and information about the key players. Patents, published 18 months after filing, reveal valuable data about geoengineering technologies, the targeted markets, and involved stakeholders. The databases of the International Patent Classification (IPC) and Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) are used. The focus of the present analysis is on patents in the sub-domains of carbon dioxide removal and solar radiation management and on those held by the large oil producer corporations. The results highlight the patents filed in the controversial area of SRM. The growing economic significance of geoengineering requires the protection of innovations through patents coupled with the implementation of a global governance system based on climate justice and ethical responsibility.