The concept of Solar Radiation Modification (SRM), also known as solar geoengineering or climate-altering technologies, proposes to cool the planet by reflecting sunlight into space, thereby reducing global mean temperatures.
As societies globally strive to implement sustainability transitions, the governance of innovation has become crucially important. Yet, achieving effective governance looks increasingly difficult. Public institutions struggle to keep up with the pace of innovation driven by exponential growth in computational power and the rapid diffusion of technologies in global markets.
Businesses have powerful commercial incentives to deploy new ideas as rapidly as possible. The scale and pace of global environmental and climate crises make it easier to justify experimentation with large-scale ‘quick fixes’ that create unknown risks.
It is widely believed that this digital revolution will profoundly impact planetary health, environmental sustainability, prosperity, and human agency by enabling global decarbonization, revolutionizing connectivity and inclusivity, and fundamentally altering the way society interacts, learns, communicates, and perceives reality. From this perspective, AI and digital transformation represent both a technological and a cultural revolution.
The concept of Solar Radiation Modification (SRM), also known as solar geoengineering or climate-altering technologies, proposes to cool the planet by reflecting sunlight into space, thereby reducing global mean temperatures. The idea is not new, with research on the possibility of measures to cool the planet arising from the volcanic eruption of Mt. Pinatubo. Despite this, geoengineering and SRM occupy a particular space, where even 10 years ago, such untested schemes seemed little more than the fancy of science fiction writers and fringe scientists.
Today, with climate impacts rising and becoming more severe and frequent, concerns over the apparent inability to drastically cut emissions and scale up carbon dioxide removal are driving scientific research, investments, and development, as well as political and public interest, on the topic of SRM.
Looming large over the discussions and debate around SRM is the moral hazard concern—that normalizing the discourse and even research into these technologies will detract from mitigation efforts. The understanding of the environmental, biophysical, and socioeconomic impacts of SRM is extremely limited.
If SRM technology were deployed, the cooling effects would start to diminish as soon as SRM deployment was halted, leading to what is known as a termination shock—a rapid and substantial rise in global temperatures following a sudden and sustained cessation—with potentially devastating impacts on ecosystems. Other impacts and unintended environmental consequences include a delay in the closing of the ozone hole, warming of polar regions, and cooling of the tropics.
These technologies are seen as potentially influencing geopolitics, introducing security risks, and aiding developed countries at the expense of developing ones, which are already deeply impacted by changes to the environment and climate. The technologies do not solve the underlying causes of climate change.
Recognizing that SRM technologies remain speculative and highly contentious, scientific scrutiny and more inclusive public discourse on the implications (including ethical issues) of SRM is critical at this stage. Choosing to ignore SRM altogether could carry its risks—leaving society and decision-makers ill-prepared and potentially misguided.
In February 2024, international negotiations at the Sixth United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) on a draft resolution to initiate a thorough independent scientific review on the potential risks of SRM were unsuccessful, as several countries strengthened their resolve in taking strong and proactive positions on what remains a highly complex, under-studied group of technologies and a growing source of interstate tensions.
Detractors and proponents of SRM alike emphasize the need for a governance architecture. The European Union, the United States of America, and China are currently funding research to better understand the science and at present do not openly support the ‘full-scale’ deployment of SRM technologies. However, pressure for a ‘quick fix’ to climate-related problems and insecurity is likely to increase as temperatures continue to rise.
