The field known as geoengineering is not currently regulated by any institution or treaty, Edward Parson, professor of environmental law at the University of California, Los Angeles, explained Saturday.

"If some nations decide this year to embark on a crude untested experimental attempt to do it, we cannot prevent it," Parsons said in San Jose, California at the American Society for the Advancement of Science's (AAAS) annual meeting.

The lawyer called for creation of an international institution with authority to make decisions related to geoengineering, adding that "some favor a UN body, some favor smaller discussions among great powers or some favor a transnational NGO."

Geoengineering, which covers an array of climate manipulation, includes everything from reflecting sunlight from the Earth's surface to sucking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.