13/8/23, 00:25 What is Solar Geoengineering - Solar Geoengineering Non-Use Agreement

(https://www.solargeoeng.org)

What is Solar Geoengineering

Solar geoengineering (also known as solar

radiation management or modification, SRM),
refers to a set of speculative technologies to
lower global temperatures by artificially
intervening in the climate systems of our planet.
Simply put, solar geoengineering interventions
would reflect some incoming sunlight back into
space and hence ‘dim the sun’. 

Solar geoengineering is highly controversial. It is

risky and uncertain. It does not address the root
cause of climate change, that is, greenhouse gas
emissions and concentrations. Instead, solar
geoengineering focuses on ‘symptom treatment’,

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seeking to limit global warming by merely

masking the effect of greenhouse gas
emissions.

The most prominent example of solar

geoengineering is stratospheric aerosol injection
(SAI), which calls for injecting tiny reflective
particles into the stratosphere, for example, by
airplanes or balloons. These particles would
scatter and reflect some incoming sunlight back
into space. The idea for stratospheric aerosol
injection draws on volcanic eruptions and their
cooling effect on the climate system. A widely
cited source of inspiration is the 1991 Mount
Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines, which
hurled large amounts of sulphur into the
troposphere and stratosphere with a cooling
effect on global temperatures.

Stratospheric aerosol injection is the most

prominent example of solar geoengineering
because it would be used to influence the
climate at a planetary scale, seems technically
feasible, and is seen as affordable.

Other examples of solar geoengineering are:

Marine cloud brightening: this would make

clouds brighter, to reflect more sunlight
back into space. Mostly, this aims at more
regional effects.

Cirrus cloud thinning: this would make

cirrus clouds thinner, which on average trap
more heat than they reflect back into space.

Space mirrors: this outlandish idea

proposes to place mirrors in space to
reflect sunlight, aiming to cool the whole

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planet. It is not widely researched nor taken

seriously.

A few countries have published overviews of the technical aspects

of solar geoengineering, for example in the United States (NAS
(https://www.nap.edu/catalog/25762/reflecting-sunlight-
recommendations-for-solar-geoengineering-research-and-research-
governance)), the United Kingdom (Royal Society
(https://royalsociety.org/-/media/Royal_Society_Content/policy/publications/2009/8693.p
and Germany (Eu-TRACE (https://www.iass-
potsdam.de/sites/default/files/2018-
06/EuTRACE_report_digital_second_edition.pdf)). NGOs have also
provided critical assessments of geoengineering, such as the ETC
Group, together with the Heinrich Böll Foundation (here
(https://www.etcgroup.org/content/big-bad-fix)).

For more information on the risks of solar geoengineering, see our

Resources (https://www.solargeoeng.org/resources/) page.

Important: The term ‘geo-engineering’ is used for many different

technologies, in addition to solar geoengineering. In the domain of
climate change, it is sometimes also used to describe various ways
of removing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it. We do not
express an opinion on carbon removal technologies here.

Learn more about our call for an International Non-Use Agreement on Solar
Geoengineering

Click here
(https://www.solargeoeng.org/non-
use-agreement/)

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13/8/23, 00:25 What is Solar Geoengineering - Solar Geoengineering Non-Use Agreement

We Call for an International Non-Use Agreement

on Solar Geoengineering

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