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November 2024 Update

Dear ,

Welcome to SRM360.org! Our website has just gone live, and we’re excited to share our first update with you. 

Every month we will highlight some of the latest scientific, media, and community developments in the world of sunlight reflection methods (SRM) – and offer a taste of the articles, perspectives, graphics, videos, and podcasts featured on our site. 

Our goal is simple: we want to distil the science and issues around SRM – also known as solar radiation modification, solar geoengineering, or solar climate interventions. And we want to present that information through clear and engaging content that everyone can use and understand. 

This is the beginning of a process. Over the coming months we will reach out to people and organisations from around the world to learn what you want and need to know, and how we can produce content that is most useful to your work. So please have a look at the site and give us your thoughts – we have more work to do, and your feedback is important.  

Please share the news with your networks and join us on our social media channels. We look forward to being in touch.  

The SRM360 team

New from SRM360

In Conversation

Our Climate Reflections podcast offers a roundup of the latest news, but we thought we’d start with something special. What is the history of SRM, how did we get here, and what is the state of the debate? Oliver Morton, Cynthia Scharf, Inés Camiloni and Govindasamy Bala share their thoughts.

Listen at srm360.org or on your preferred podcast platform.

SRM Academic Highlights

A new assessment indicates SAI could reduce wind power in some regions. Photo: Pixabay.

Stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) could reduce wind power generation in some regions

Baur et al. published the first assessment of the impact of SAI on wind power generation, finding SAI could reduce overall wind power potential by a few percent in some regions. This piece was published just after Kumler et al.'s extensive review of the effects of SRM on renewable power generation. Carbon Brief also published a guest post by Susanne Baur on the topic.

How brightening marine clouds would change the climate 

Evaluating the climate response to marine cloud brightening is challenging as it could be implemented in different regions, producing different climate responses. Rasch et al. have proposed a new modeling protocol to address this challenge and present some initial findings. 

How age, wealth, geography shape views on SRM 

Drawing on a survey of 30,000 participants across 30 countries, Sovacool et al. found the public tended to support SRM more than they opposed it, and that support was greater for the poor relative to the rich, the young relative to the old, and the Global South relative to the Global North. 

It is time to admit the world will cross 1.5°C 

Glen Peters published a commentary making the case that it is now no longer possible to keep warming below 1.5°C or return it below that level before 2100. He argues that scenarios with impossibly steep emissions cuts should give way to more nuanced and plausible scenarios in future work. 

Community and Events

Reporting on COP29 and more. Photo: United Nations. 

SRM at the UNFCCC COP29 in Baku 

At the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 29th conference of the parties in Baku, Azerbaijan, SRM was discussed at side events on governance and research and market-based instruments for net zero.

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) reaffirms earlier decisions 

The Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the CBD, in the context of a broader decision on climate change and biodiversity, reaffirmed previous decisions taken on the topic of geoengineering, which includes sunlight reflection methods. These decisions include a 2010 invitation to refrain from geoengineering that might affect biodiversity, which some people refer to as a “moratorium”. For more, download DSG’s Policy Brief on addressing SRM within the CBD framework. 

New interactive tool allows users to simulate climate response to SAI 

Reflective – a non-profit aiming to accelerate research on SRM – has released a simulator to allow the public and policymakers to explore the climate response to SAI. This interactive tool allows users to specify different scenarios and compare the effects of continued warming against those of a potential SAI deployment.   

ARIA's Exploring Climate Cooling programme accepting proposals 

£56.8 million of funding has been announced by the UK’s ARIA (Advanced Research and Intervention Agency). Over twelve months, the programme will begin to explore whether approaches designed to delay, or avert, climate tipping points could be feasible, scalable, and safe. Learn more and submit your proposal (Deadline December 9).  

Launch of the American Geophysical Union’s ethical framework for research 

The American Geophysical Union released its Ethical Framework Principles for Climate Intervention Research. It says that research into large-scale interventions in Earth’s climate system must be grounded in sound ethical principles so society can make informed choices about whether to deploy them. It warns that the unintended consequences of large-scale deployment are largely unknown. Covered in the media by Bloomberg Opinion and Politico’s Climate Wire. 

Degrees Global Forum 

The Degrees Initiative’s Global Forum on SRM will take place in Cape Town, South Africa, 12-16 May 2025. The Global Forum will likely be the largest conference on SRM to date and aims to foster interdisciplinary discussions through a range of session formats. A call for session proposals is now open. Submit your proposal (Deadline December 8).

Giving Green highlights SRM in latest philanthropic strategies   

Giving Green – a research organisation helping donors interested in effective climate giving – included advancing SRM governance among eight philanthropic strategies. They highlighted three areas for priority funding: civil society engagement in low and middle-income countries, advocacy for research in high-income countries, and efforts to develop an international governance framework.

In the Media

Could diamonds be effective for SAI? Photo: InkkStudios / iStock.

Diamonds in the sky? 

A new paper by Vattioni et al evaluated the potential effectiveness of solid aerosol particles for SAI. The paper considered the (prohibitively costly) possibility of microscopic diamonds which caught the attention of several news outlets: Could injecting diamond dust into the atmosphere help cool the planet? (Phys.org), Polvo de diamantes: ¿es posible usarlo para enfriar el planeta frente al calentamiento global? (Infobae), Firing millions of tons of diamond dust into the sky could save our planet (WorldNews).

Where should the international SRM debate be hosted? 

In a piece for The Economist, Oliver Morton considers whether the historic Environmental Modification Convention (ENMOD) may be the right place to host discussions of SRM or whether the UN Secretary-General should host discussions: A place to talk about cooling the Earth (The Economist).

No, the government cannot control the weather   

After recent extreme weather events in the United States and Spain, accusations that governments were controlling the weather spread online. Several recent articles cover the response to these accusations and explore the underlying reasons behind them: The Rise of Green MAGA (Compact), NOAA issues statement to confirm it doesn’t control the weather after MTG and others spouted conspiracy theories (The Independent), No, the government cannot control the weather (KSNW), Online disinformation exacerbates Spain flood disaster (AFP), Floods in Valencia prompt conspiracy theories (The Journal).

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