Emission reductions alone are unlikely to prevent severe climate change effects. Geoengineering proposals are a way forward, but they need legitimate and effective governance.

Climate change is imperiling humanity’s future. To combat it, the world needs to use rules that have been around for decades, create new rules, and find new space for climate change policy.

Greater resilience to nationalist rollback is most likely in arenas of global governance where national governments are less dominant. Some of the disruptors to global governance that led to innovation also promise resilience to national policy change.