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Solar geoengineering research in the social sciences and humanities has largely evolved in parallel with research in the natural sciences. In this article, we review the current state of the literature on the ethical, legal, economic, and social science aspects of this emerging area. We discuss issues regarding the framing and futures of solar geoengineering, empirical social science on public views and public engagement, the evolution of ethical concerns regarding research and deployment, and the current legal and economic frameworks and emerging proposals for the regulation and governance of solar geoengineering.

This article explores the potential contribution of the development of a code of conduct to serve as a near‐term governance instrument to guide the responsible conduct of geoengineering research. This idea is grounded in the observation that geoengineering research and development processes are emerging within a polycentric governance landscape. A key feature of such systems is the recognition of an overarching system of rules which, inter alia, set out the key objectives to be achieved. To this end, the article presents the results of a multi‐year, transdisciplinary study that seeks to identify and describe salient legal concepts, norms, and processes relevant to the geoengineering research governance, and discusses how the interpretation and application of these may be promoted through the adoption of a flexible, voluntary instrument promulgated by various state and non‐state actors operating at different levels.