Nature-based and geo-engineering climate mitigation technologies: Public acceptance and security prospects

Climate change requires mitigation approaches, from nature-based to experimental geoengineering. We examined public attitudes toward six strategies-reforestation in previously forested areas, afforestation in new terrains, direct CO₂ capture with underground storage, biomass energy with CO₂ capture, stratospheric sulfate aerosols, and orbital mirrors-via a representative Czech survey (N = 3,007). Binary logistic regressions reveal how age, education, employment, and residence shape perceptions of efficacy, risks, and ethics. Results show strong favor for reforestation and afforestation due to ecological benefits and long-term promise; sulfate aerosols and orbital mirrors face skepticism. Surprisingly, participants with only primary education showed greater openness to geoengineering than university graduates. Older respondents favored biomass-based carbon capture but less so certain high-tech solutions. Our findings highlight the importance of policies aligned with diverse public views, ensuring both established and novel measures are harmonized into an effective climate mitigation strategy. These results indicate demographic contexts shape acceptance of climate interventions.