1. This Week’s Top SRM Updates

2. Research Papers

3. Web Posts

4. Job Opportunities

5. Upcoming Events

6. YouTube Videos

7. Short Course

THIS WEEK’S TOP SRM HIGHLIGHTS

RESEARCH PAPERS

Geoengineering and Animal Ethics: The Case of Stratospheric Aerosol Injection

Authors: Leonie N. Bossert & Clare Palmer

Synopsis: This study explores the ethical implications of SRM, particularly Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI), for wild animals. Moving beyond human-centered debates, it examines whether SAI could be ethically unacceptable from animal ethics perspectives and highlights key research gaps related to animal welfare, ecological impacts, and justice considerations involving non-human species under potential SRM deployment scenarios.

Cation Identity, Phase State, and Density as Key Determinants of Radiative Forcing in Atmospheric Sulfate Systems

Authors: Vahid Shahabadi, Yingshi Luo, Aaron M. Palmisano, et al.

Synopsis: This study shows that the optical and physical behavior of sulfate aerosols depends strongly on cation type, phase state, and density, challenging simplified climate model assumptions based on the H₂SO₄–H₂O system. Experiments reveal that multivalent sulfates can form highly viscous, gel-like phases at low humidity, suppressing water transport and altering reactivity. Some sulfates also exhibit higher refractive indices, increasing shortwave radiative forcing efficiency and potentially affecting climate modeling and Solar Radiation Management (SRM) assessments.

Roadmap toward a planetary sunshade for space-based solar geoengineering

Authors: Catello Leonardo Matonti, Marina Coco, Chantal Cappelletti, Bruce Chesley, Christer Fuglesang, Giuseppe Governale

Synopsis: This paper presents a technology roadmap for a Planetary Sunshade System, a space-based SRM concept aimed at reducing incoming solar radiation in a reversible way. The roadmap outlines phased development from early demonstrations to full deployment near the Sun–Earth/Moon photo-gravitational Lagrange point, covering solar sails, in-space assembly, swarm coordination, and launch systems. It proposes initial operations by 2040 and full capability by 2080, while emphasizing feasibility assessment and international collaboration.

Examining Opportunities to Strengthen Climate Governance in Iran for Enhancing International Convergence and Resilience to Climate Change

Author: Sadegh Karimi

Synopsis: This study reviews outcomes from recent UN climate conferences, including COP29 and COP30, and examines their implications for Iran. It highlights growing international focus on climate finance, adaptation, and fossil fuel transition, while assessing Iran’s climate vulnerabilities, including droughts, rising temperatures, and declining rainfall. The paper argues that sanctions and fossil fuel dependence limit Iran’s access to climate finance and calls for stronger, more transparent climate governance integrating global climate strategies, including carbon dioxide removal and SRM.

The Geoengineering Model Intercomparison Project (GeoMIP) contribution to CMIP7 – description of new experimental protocols and preliminary results - Preprint

Authors: Daniele Visioni, Alan Robock, Alistair Duffey, Matthew Henry, Haruki Hirasawa, Walker R. Lee, Cindy Wang, et al.

Synopsis: The Geoengineering Model Intercomparison Project outlines a new framework of SRM climate model experiments for CMIP7, aimed at improving scientific realism, policy relevance, and cross-model comparability. Building on past GeoMIP lessons, the framework introduces Preparatory, Tier 1, and Tier 2 experiments to study SRM impacts, uncertainties, overshoot scenarios, and tipping elements, while enabling flexible, coordinated exploration across global modeling groups.

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WEB POSTS

Solar Geoengineering Updates - Monthly Solar Geoengineering Updates (April’2026)

LinkedIn - The Way Ahead for Atmospheric Security

Climate Home News - EU warns on solar geoengineering but research debate grinds on

Encompass - From moratorium to mandate: Europe’s next move on geoengineering

Vermont Daily Chronicle - Bean: OGA connects with Secretary Kennedy on Geoengineering

Erik’s Earth - Chasing Sun: A Look Inside Solar Geoengineering

LinkedIn - DSG’s response to the UN Special Rapporteur on Climate Change’s call for input on climate-related technologies and human rights

The Degrees Initiative - Philippines and Ghana teams hold joint workshops on opportunities, risks and governance of SRM

Planetary Sunshade Institute - Planetary Sunshade Irradiance Model

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JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Postdoctoral Scholar – Solar Geoengineering Climate Response Evaluation at The University of Chicago

“Dr. Pete Irvine at the University of Chicago is seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral scholar to join an interdisciplinary research team in a position supported by the University of Chicago’s Climate Systems Engineering initiative (CSEi, Director: David Keith). The aim of this position will be to identify and assess potential hotspots of climate risk under scenarios of Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI) deployment and compare those to the risks under global warming.”

Postdoctoral position on Arctic climate dynamics and climate intervention at UCLA | Deadline: 20 May 2026

“The Aerosol–Climate Interactions group at UCLA is seeking a postdoctoral scholar to study the climate response to targeted wintertime polar cooling. The position is part of a Simons Foundation-supported project assessing mixed-phase cloud thinning as a proposed climate-intervention concept. The project does not assume that this approach is feasible, desirable, or deployable; its goal is to determine how the Arctic and global climate system would respond, including effects on sea ice, hydrology, AMOC-relevant ocean stratification, time of emergence, and Arctic-community-relevant climate variables.”

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UPCOMING EVENTS

12 May | University of Cambridge - Climate Repair Symposium by Center for Climate Repair

13-15 May | University of Nottingham - IAA Planetary Sunshade Workshop by Planetary Sunshade Foundation

14 May | Online - HPAC Presentation with Associate Professor Daniel Harrison - Marine Cloud Brightening on the Great Barrier Reef (NEW)

14 May | University of Cambridge - The unknowability of Solar Radiation Management, and why that matters by Center for Climate Repair (NEW)

15 May | London, United Kingdom - AI x Weather x Climate Demo Night by Encode: AI for Science Fellowship - Pillar VC x ARIA

18-19 May | University of Chicago - Frontiers in Climate Systems Engineering by CSEi

25 May | Online - Exploring climate interventions and the science-policy interface by WCRP

26 May | Online - How Could the First Decade of Solar Geoengineering Unfold? by SRM360 (NEW)

26-29 May | ‎Tórshavn, Faroe Islands - Healthy Humans and Oceans in the Arctic (NEW)

28 May | Arena 2 Plenum - Building and Sharing Knowledge of Climate Interventions by UArctic Congress

28-29 May | Belgium - International Forum on Solar Radiation Modification Research Governance by Co-Create

01 June | Online - CSAR lecture: Beyond Net Zero: Can We Repair The Climate? by University of Cambridge

02-04 June | Rwanda - The IAF Global Space Conference on Climate Change 2026 - Uniting Space and Earth for Climate Resilience

20-21 June | United States - Bridging the Knowledge Gaps in Climate Engineering with Experiments, Models, and Observations by Gordon Research Seminar

21-26 June 2026 | United States - Gordon Research Conference - Bridging Observations, Models, and Impacts in Solar Radiation Modification Research

10-11 September | Washington, DC. - 2026 RFF and Harvard SRM Social Science Research Workshop

12-15 October | Malaysia - Global Tipping Points 2026 | Abstract Deadline: 15 May

Solar Geoengineering Events Calendar

YOUTUBE VIDEOS

A polarised debate - is there a middle ground of geoengineering? | Centre for Climate Repair

Ted Parson Insights from the Montreal Protocol for Climate Interventions | Healthy Planet Action Coalition

“Professor Parson is Distinguished Dan and Rae Emmett Professor of Environmental Law and Faculty Director, Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, University of California Los Angeles. He has written extensively on the Montreal Protocol on Ozone Depleting Substances, and on climate intervention.”

DCA Seminar - Meteorology, April 24, 2026 | Departamento de Ciências Atmosféricas - IAG / USP

“Given the current scenario of global warming, in which the three-year period 2023-2025 recorded, for the first time, average temperatures exceeding 1.5 °C compared to pre-industrial levels, humanity faces the imminent risk of reaching “tipping points”. Although mitigation and adaptation are essential strategies, Climate Intervention, specifically Solar Radiation Modification (SRM), emerges as the only alternative capable of promoting the cooling of the planet in a short period of time. This seminar aims to present the topic, addressing the techniques most discussed in the literature and the results of studies based on numerical modeling. Additionally, questions will be raised regarding the global governance required for such interventions.”

Playlist: Solar Radiation Management Annual Meeting (2026) | Simons Foundation

“The Solar Radiation Management program seeks to communicate the research process, progress and findings of the Simons-funded work on understanding the fundamental processes, uncertainties and potential impacts of strategies for solar radiation management.”

SHORT COURSE

11 - 12 June | UENR, Dormaa Campus - Short Course on Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) and Solar Radiation Modification (SRM) by Emerging Climate Frontiers

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TOP 10 SRM UPDATES FROM APRIL 2026

Stardust Releases Its Own Rules and Guidelines for SRM R&D

Stardust Solutions, a U.S.-Israeli private solar radiation modification (SRM) company, has publicly released a set of self-authored “Guiding Principles,” described as a voluntary code of conduct governing the company’s research and activities, alongside a white paper outlining proposed safety and controllability requirements for sunlight reflection systems. However, a feature in The Atlantic highlighted criticism from researchers and experts over unresolved questions surrounding the company’s undisclosed aerosol particles, limited transparency, and the broader implications of allowing private firms to influence potential planetary-scale climate interventions.

WHO-Backed Report Calls for Health-Centered Global Governance of Solar Geoengineering

A WHO-funded report [pre-print] released by the Bioethics Program at FLACSO Argentina, with international collaborators, calls for a health-centered governance framework for solar radiation modification. It stresses that mitigation and adaptation must remain the primary climate responses, recommending a “non-substitution” safeguard to prevent SRM replacing emissions cuts. The report urges a “health-first” governance mandate, integrating physical and mental health impacts into risk assessments, and establishing an international anticipatory governance system. It also highlights equity, justice, and co-stewardship, emphasizing stronger inclusion of Global South voices and regional contexts in SRM decision-making.

EU Calls for SRM Deployment Moratorium

Council of the European Union has called for a moratorium on the deployment of SRM technologies, citing potential risks to climate, environment, security, and geopolitics. While the move does not extend to SRM research, the Council urged application of the precautionary principle and closer monitoring of geoengineering initiatives. Read Operaatio Arktis’ constructive response to this news.

Arctic Stabilization Initiative Launched to Mitigate Climate Risks

The Arctic Stabilization Initiative (ASI), a new stage-gated research program supported by Renaissance Philanthropy’s Advanced Research for Climate Emergencies (ARC), has raised $6.5 million to advance the research needed to assess the safety, efficacy, and feasibility of Arctic-targeted climate interventions.

Reflective Funds 13 Teams to Study SAI Impacts and Climate Tipping Risks

Reflective has awarded grants to thirteen research teams under its “Effects of SAI on Tipping Points & Climate Impacts” programme to advance understanding of SAI risks and interactions with the Earth system. The initiative aims to strengthen the evidence base ahead of the IPCC Seventh Assessment Report (AR7), which will shape global understanding of SAI for years to come. The funded projects will examine two core areas: potential interactions between SAI and critical tipping points such as ice sheet loss and ocean circulation shifts, and its wider effects on food systems, health, ecosystems, infrastructure, and economies.

2026 RFF and Harvard SRM Social Science Research Workshop

Resources for the Future (RFF) and Harvard’s Solar Geoengineering Research Program have announced a call for papers for the 4th annual Social Science Workshop on SRM, to be held in Washington, DC on September 10-11, 2026. The workshop will present new and ongoing research on SRM’s risks, benefits, governance, political economy, ethics, and public perception. Submissions are invited from diverse social science fields, including contributions from Global South researchers, with proposals due May 15 and decisions expected by June 15.

Geoengineering Could Protect Amazon Rainforest from climate Change

Earth System Dynamics published a new study that suggests geoengineering via stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) could help shield the Amazon rainforest from climate-driven stress. Contrary to concerns that reduced sunlight and rainfall might harm forests, climate model simulations show SAI may increase Amazon carbon storage by about 10.8% compared to high-emissions scenarios and 8.6% relative to mid-emissions pathways by reducing heat and drought impacts, thereby limiting forest carbon losses. But researchers note benefits are uneven across regions and stress mitigation and emissions cuts remain essential.

Workshop to Advance Engineering Dialogue on SRM

Dakota Gruener from Reflective will convene a workshop in Chicago on May 19 titled “Frontiers in Engineering for Sunlight Reflection,” bringing together engineers and researchers to explore how sunlight reflection technologies could be practically designed and implemented. The initiative highlights a gap in relevant engineering expertise, noting that few specialists are currently working on the problem. The discussion aims to advance early-stage technical thinking on feasibility, even as broader debate continues over whether such approaches should ever be deployed. A similar workshop also took place in San Francisco on May 4.

University of Chicago to Host Climate Systems Engineering Event on May 18-19

The University of Chicago Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth and the Climate Systems Engineering initiative (CSEi) announced a “Frontiers in Climate Systems Engineering” event to be held on May 18-19 at the David Rubenstein Forum, bringing together researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders to discuss climate systems engineering approaches, including carbon removal and sunlight reflection. The event focuses on assessing the risks, benefits, and governance challenges of emerging climate interventions alongside emissions reduction efforts.

Building Capacity for Public Engagement on Solar Geoengineering - Book

A new book published by Cambridge University Press highlights the importance of capacity-building and public engagement in SRM. It examines three main approaches to achieve this: capacity-building workshops, participatory technology assessment, and deliberative polling, aimed at supporting informed, inclusive decision-making on SRM governance.

For a full recap of last month’s updates, check out our weekly summaries: WEEK 1 | WEEK 2 | WEEK 3 | WEEK 4 | WEEK 5

And here’s an overview:

RESEARCH PAPERS

Solar Geoengineering Effects on Malaria Transmission Risk in South Asia Under G6sulfur Scenario | Authors: Athar Hussain, Muhammad Ali Khan, Muhammad Shoaib

Study suggests SAI could lower malaria risk across South Asia, especially in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan.

Who Controls the Climate? Negotiating the Global Governance of Geo-engineering: A non-scorable real-world negotiation Simulation | Authors: Peter Kesting, Remigiusz Smolinski

Simulation-based study of geoengineering governance reveals tensions between innovation and precaution, highlighting risks around harm, inequality, and weaponization in the absence of global rules.

Impacts of Solar Geoengineering through Stratospheric Aerosol Injection on Terrestrial Ecosystems and Ecosystem Services | Authors: Anna Harper, Christophe Francois, Lili Xia, et al.

Study finds that while SAI could cool the planet, major uncertainties remain over its impacts on ecosystems, crops, and carbon cycles, underscoring the need for better Earth system modelling.

An unrecognized mode of small particles in the lower stratosphere | Authors: Ming Lyu, Adam T. Ahern et al.

Aircraft observations show that previously underrepresented fine particles dominate stratospheric aerosol surface area, affecting ozone chemistry and adding key uncertainties for climate models and SAI effectiveness.

Why we need to explore conflict and competition around solar geoengineering | Authors: Ina Möller, Danielle N. Young

Study reframes solar geoengineering as a potential geopolitical power tool, urging more research on conflict, competition, and governance risks beyond cooperative climate scenarios.

Not yet partisan: Cultural Theory explains attitudes about solar radiation management in the US | Authors: Chris Koski and Paul Manson

Findings suggest cultural values, such as egalitarianism and views on hierarchy, play a stronger role than political partisanship in shaping US public attitudes toward SRM.

Could geoengineering ever start? Could it ever stop? Grist for “Destiny Studies” and “Continuity Ethics” | Authors: Robert Socolow

Paper explores geoengineering through the lens of long-term human governance and ethics, warning that reliance on such technologies could become difficult to reverse or even “addictive.”

Cloud-Top Relative Humidity Modulates Aerosol Effects Across Marine Cloud Regimes | Authors: Fan Liu, Feiyue Mao, Zengxin Pan, et al.

Study finds that fine aerosols drive much stronger cloud-cooling effects than coarse sea-salt aerosols, with impacts varying by cloud-top humidity and cloud regime.

Climate Engineering: Can Humans Reverse Global Warming? | Authors: Xojabekova Ramzida Uktam qizi

Article reviews Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) and SRM, emphasizing that climate engineering can complement, but not replace, emissions reductions and requires strong global governance.

Projected temperature and precipitation extremes over Tanzania under stratospheric SO2 injection | Authors: Trisha D Patel, Mariam Nguvava and Romaric C Odoulami

Findings revealed that SAI could reduce extreme warming in Tanzania but may also decrease rainfall and worsen drought risks, highlighting major climate trade-offs.

Learning From Public Health Emergencies For Solar Geoengineering Governance: The Filter And The Countermeasure | Authors: Guillermo Marín Penella, Timothy Daly, Ignacio Mastroleo

Study proposes a dual governance framework for climate engineering, combining long-term research oversight with emergency-use pathways for temporary deployment during severe climate crises.

Simulated response of the climate of eastern Africa to stratospheric aerosol intervention | Authors: Herbert O. Misiani, Hussen S. Endris, Franklin J. Opijah, et al.

Research finds that SAI could reduce future warming in Eastern Africa, though rainfall impacts remain uneven and uncertain across regions and seasons.

Field Observations of Sea Ice Thickening by Artificial Flooding | Authors: T. C. Hammer, L. L. van Dijke, A. Shestov, C. Haas, H. Hendrikse

Analysis shows that artificial seawater flooding can temporarily thicken Arctic sea ice and delay melting, but may not significantly extend summer ice survival under current conditions.

Organic Solar Radiation Modification | Authors: Markku Kulmala, Anton Laakso, Mikael Ehn, et al.

Study proposes Organic Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (OSAI) as a possible alternative to sulfate-based SRM, potentially reducing acid deposition and ozone risks while introducing new uncertainties.

Uncovering a Missing Factor in Marine Low Cloud Formation | Authors: Ehsan Erfani

Simulation shows that El Niño affects Pacific marine low clouds differently by region, reducing cloud cooling in the Northeast Pacific while enhancing it in the Southeast Pacific.

Dynamical and Radiative Influence on the Hadley Circulation by Aerosol-Cloud Interactions | Authors: Takanobu Yamaguchi, Ryuji Yoshida, Yao-Sheng Chen, et al.

Research finds that aerosols can strengthen atmospheric circulation and enhance cloud brightening effects, though ocean–atmosphere coupling reduces the overall climate response.

Which worlds? With whom?: Geoengineering through a relational multispecies lens | Authors: Julia D. Gibson

Essay argues that geoengineering should be viewed through justice, colonial, and multispecies perspectives, emphasizing its deeper ethical and ecological implications beyond technical climate intervention.

A call for strategic assessments of regional applications of solar radiation management: Exploring the challenges and opportunities from marine cloud brightening and albedo surface modification | Authors: U Baresi, CM Baum, TB Fischer, S Lockie, et al.

Paper examines Marine Cloud Brightening and surface albedo modification as potential SRM tools, highlighting both their climate benefits and the need for more inclusive governance and environmental assessment.

The global climate response to High-Latitude Low-Altitude Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (HiLLA-SAI) | Authors: Alistair Duffey, Walker Lee, Lauren Wheeler, et al.

Study finds that high-latitude low-altitude (HiLLA) Stratospheric Aerosol Injection could provide a more practical early-stage SRM approach, delivering partial global cooling using existing aircraft technology.

Stratospheric aerosol injection geoengineering has the potential to increase land carbon storage and to protect the Amazon rainforest | Authors: Isobel M. Parry, Paul D. L. Ritchie, Olivier Boucher, et al.

Study finds SAI could boost global vegetation productivity and land carbon storage, but with uneven regional impacts and potential declines in some tropical and high-latitude regions.

The Solar radiation management and evaporative heat flux over West Africa: Insights from ERA5 Reanalysis, CMIP6 Models, and Stratospheric Aerosol Injection | Authors: Adenuga, K., Adenuga, K. P., et al.

Analysis shows that SAI could moderate evaporative stress and drought risk in West Africa, partially restoring latent heat flux toward pre-industrial conditions with strongest effects in coastal regions.

Projected Future of African Marine Ecosystems Under Climate Change and Stratospheric Aerosol Injection | Authors: Founi M. Awo, Babatunde J. Abiodun, Isabelle Ansorge, et al.

Study finds that SAI could limit warming to 1.5°C but only partially mitigates marine ecosystem impacts in African coastal waters, with continued acidification and oxygen loss still occurring.

Energetic constraints on tropical precipitation changes under stratospheric aerosol geoengineering: a topical review | Authors: Anu Xavier, Govindasamy Bala and Thejas Kallihosur

Review shows that Stratospheric Aerosol Geoengineering alters tropical rainfall patterns through large-scale energy balance changes, particularly affecting the Intertropical Convergence Zone, with design choices potentially reducing adverse impacts.

Calcite plumes for the mitigation of extreme heat events | Authors: Alan Hoback

Study finds that airborne calcite plumes for urban cooling could reduce solar radiation and temperatures significantly, lowering energy demand and providing additional health and economic benefits in cities like Las Vegas.

Quantifying the effectiveness of multiple SAI strategies across different dimensions - Preprint | Authors: Dr. Cindy Wang, Dr. Daniele Visioni, Dr. Walker Raymond Lee, et al.

Analysis revealed that while SAI can meet global temperature targets, it may still fail to restore regional and seasonal climate patterns, highlighting mismatches between global and local climate recovery.

Managing climate overshoot: A risk-based strategy for climate stabilisation - Preprint | Authors: Graeme Taylor, Peter Wadhams, Tom Goreau, et al.

Study argues that current mitigation and carbon removal efforts are too slow to match accelerating warming, calling for a risk-based approach combining rapid decarbonization, carbon removal, and potentially governed climate cooling interventions.

Spatial and temporal distribution of stratospheric turbulence from global high-resolution radiosonde data - Preprint | Authors: Han-Chang Ko, Hongwei Sun

Observational analysis of stratospheric turbulence suggests key hotspots and shear-driven regions that could significantly affect aerosol dispersion and plume behavior in Stratospheric Aerosol Injection.

Drivers of reduced permafrost cooling efficacy of equatorial stratospheric aerosol injection in the Eastern Arctic compared to a moderate emission pathway - Preprint | Authors: Isaline Businger, Rhonda Müller, Raleigh Grysko, et al.

Under the G6sulfur scenario, Stratospheric Aerosol Injection can slow overall Arctic permafrost loss by reducing warming, but it also creates uneven regional thaw patterns due to circulation changes.

Assessing Future Temperature and Precipitation Responses to Solar Radiation Management in Bangladesh: A Comparative Analysis with SSP Scenarios - Preprint | Authors: Afifa Talukder, Mohammad Kamruzzaman, Syed Hafizur Rahman

Climate modeling for Bangladesh finds that SRM can reduce future warming but may also slightly decrease rainfall, raising potential drought risks despite temperature benefits.

The enhanced capabilities of mid-infrared limb emission sounding to observe stratospheric aerosol injection geoengineering interventions - Preprint | Authors: Pasquale Sellitto, Mona Kosary, Michael Höpfner, et al.

Study finds that proposed satellite-based monitoring systems could rapidly detect and track even small Stratospheric Aerosol Injection deployments, highlighting current gaps in SRM observation capabilities.

High-latitude, low-altitude stratospheric aerosol injection reshapes West African monsoon rainfall and associated dynamics - Preprint | Authors: Kwesi Twentwewa Quagraine, Kwesi Akumenyi Quagraine, et al.

Model simulations of HiLLA-SAI suggest highly uncertain, regionally mixed impacts on the West African Monsoon, with potential shifts in rainfall patterns that may shorten coastal wet periods and intensify Sahel drought conditions.

Regional Economic Impacts and Emission Responses under Solar Radiation Modification - Preprint | Authors: Jenny Bjordal , Evelien van Dijk, Henri Cornec, et al.

Study finds that SRM-induced cooling could raise GDP per capita and reduce global inequality, especially in low-income countries, but may also incentivize higher emissions and create long-term climate trade-offs.

WEB POSTS & REPORTS

Solar Geoengineering Updates - Monthly Solar Geoengineering Updates (March’2026)

Stardust Solution - Guiding Principles for Stardust’s Solar Radiation Modification Research

SRM360 - The Case for a Solar Geoengineering Research Governance Platform

CSEi - Dan Cziczo, Leading Atmospheric Scientist, Joins UChicago

Europe Scientist - Shading the Planet: The Case for Climate Intervention with High-Altitude Balloons

Nancy Mace - Rep. Nancy Mace Backs Legislation Banning Atmospheric Geoengineering Experiments Over South Carolina

Atlantic - A Private Company Wants to Block the Sun, Responsibly

LinkedIn - A trio of conservative US thinktanks have issued briefs on SRM

DSG - First Comes the Science: What Gene Editing’s Legitimacy Gap Reveals for SRM

E&E News by Politico - Solar geoengineering startup sets its own rules

Reflective Climate - SAI Simulator v1.3 Update: Sea Ice, Model Variability, and Data Export

Columbia Missourian - Clear skies legislation gets House hearing

Climate Court - State Climate Liability Shields in 2026: A Comparative Analysis of Utah, Iowa, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Louisiana

SRM360 - Do New Reports Signal a Shift in US Conservatives’ Approach to SRM?

DSG - The Danger of Performed Governance in SRM

SilverLining - Why Sustained Marine Observations Matter for Atmospheric Research

The Telegraph - The climate change scientists racing to dim the sun

Degrees Initiative - From curiosity to climate leadership: Dr Romaric C. Odoulami’s journey in African SRM research

Woodwell Climate Research Centre - The only thing crazier than talking about solar radiation management is not talking about it

Climate Uncovered - Solar Radiation Modification: A last resort, but for how much longer?

The Innovation Geoscience - Positive feedback of Gulf Stream latent heat flux in sustaining AMOC evolution under stratospheric aerosol injection

Carbon Brief - Guest post: How declining cloudiness is accelerating global warming

DSG - From Taboo to Assumed: How Carbon Dioxide Removal Advanced Before Governance Could Keep Up and What It Means for SRM

ACIRhub - How could SRM affect West Africa?

SRM360 - Stardust Publishes New Details on Its Climate Cooling Plans

ACIRH Hub - The ACIRH Story: 12 Years in the Making

‎Upon Further Reflection - Reflective at GeoMIP

Engineering & Technology – Is geoengineering our ‘escape hatch’ from climate change?

Ghana Web – Ghana advancing despite ‘deeply concerning’ global climate trends - Minister

The Conversation – Searching for a ‘technofix’ to climate change has many dangers. Could radical humility save the planet?

Rio Grande Guardian – Wolfe: Bans on cloud seeding and sunlight reflection would criminalize innovation

Reflective – Why field experiments will be necessary to understand stratospheric aerosol injection

The Guardian – Critical Atlantic current significantly more likely to collapse than thought

The Times - A new way to cool the Earth: give clouds a silver lining

Inevitable & Obvious - On the Ground at Stabilize Earth

The Energy Mix - Geoengineering On the Table, and Under Fire, As Scientists Race to Save Melting Thwaites Glacier

Renaissance Philanthropy - Arctic Stabilization Initiative - Advancing Arctic-targeted climate interventions to slow or reverse our trajectory toward planetary thresholds

Heatmap - Scoop: New Nonprofit Backs Unique Approach to Geoengineering the Arctic

CBN - British scientists firing salt water into clouds in bold attempt to cool Earth

New American - States Push Back Against Geoengineering and Cloud Seeding

MIT Technology Review - There is no nature anymore - No part of the globe is free of human fingerprints. Should we deploy technology to change it back?

Phys.Org - Geoengineering could protect Amazon rainforest from climate change

The ARC: Thoughts on a safe climate future - A bold research initiative to stabilize the Arctic

Cambridge in America - Earth Month 2026: Leading Cambridge Climate Scientist Shaun Fitzgerald on the State of the Planet

Earth.com - Reducing air pollution has triggered something worse that scientists didn’t predict

Environmental Defense Fund - EDF Submits Response to UN Special Rapporteur on Climate Technologies and Human Rights

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists - Emergency brakes: How to limit temperatures long before the last resort of geoengineering

Lawfare - Reframing the Conversation on Climate Intervention and Security

Science.Orf - Tiny aerosols could influence the climate

Manchester Evening News - Government issues statement on ‘weather modification’ in UK after calls for ban

The Degrees Initiative - ‘A beautiful chance to better understand how the field is built and evolving’ – reflections from GeoMIP

Eos - Toward Marine Cloud Brightening at Scale: A Science Agenda

Upon Further Reflection - Award Announcement: Effects of SAI on Tipping Points & Climate Impacts

ARIA - Unearthing the known unknowns - A joint workshop on climate cooling and tipping points

Stardust is tackling the wrong problem with the wrong structure (David Keith)

Taylor & Francis Online - The long heat: climate politics when it’s too late (Book Review)

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JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Operations Specialist, Arctic Stabilization Initiative at Renaissance Philanthropy

“ASI is a 5-year research initiative focused on reducing the risk of catastrophic Arctic climate tipping points — specifically Greenland Ice Sheet melt, Arctic sea-ice loss, and permafrost thaw — systems that are already showing signs of destabilization, with potential cascading impacts on sea levels, weather patterns, and geopolitical stability. Through a stage-gated research process, ASI evaluates potential Arctic-targeted interventions, with an initial focus on Mixed-Phase Cloud Thinning (MCT), to determine whether such approaches could credibly reduce catastrophic risk while building the scientific and governance foundations needed to assess their safety and feasibility.”

Communications Specialist, Science and Technology at The University of Chicago

“The University of Chicago Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth (ICSG) is a groundbreaking effort uniting faculty from across the university to advance society’s understanding of our energy and climate future. The Institute combines faculty insights in energy markets and policy, climate systems engineering, and energy technology to produce world-changing ideas while also investing in the next generation of energy and climate thinkers, leaders, and innovators through novel educational programs.”

Postdoctoral Research Associate in Solar Radiation Management at The University of Edinburgh - College of Science and Engineering - School of GeoSciences | Deadline: 15 June 2026

“University of Edinburgh seek a postdoctoral research associate (PDRA) for a 24-month position to work on the UK NERC-funded grant “Quantifying Efficacy and risks of solar radiation management (SRM) approaches using natural analogues”. The project will use novel machine learning-based methods to determine the climate response to a range of natural event (e.g. wildfires, volcanic eruptions) which can be used as analogues of SRM to provide evidence for informing model improvement without worry about the risks of field experiments. The derived large-scale observational constraints will be used to constrain and advance climate models, and to attribute climate response to SRM.”

Research Associate in Climate Dynamics at Imperial College London | Deadline: 13 May 2026

“Applications are invited for a fully funded fixed-term position at the Research Associate (postdoc) level in understanding the global climate response to stratospheric perturbations from solar radiation management (SRM).

The position will be co-supervised by Dr Paulo Ceppi and Dr Colleen Golja and will be based in the Department of Physics.”

PhD student in Atmospheric Sciences and Oceanography, focus on Marine Cloud Brightening at Stockholm University

“The Department of Meteorology at Stockholm University (MISU) conducts research and education spanning the atmosphere, ocean and physical climate sciences.”

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DEADLINES

08-09 May | Pwani University, Kenya - Short Course on Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) and Solar Radiation Modification (SRM)

21 & 22 May | University of Cape Coast - SRM & CDR Short Course 2026

UPCOMING EVENTS

12 May | University of Cambridge - Climate Repair Symposium by Center for Climate Repair

13-15 May | University of Nottingham - IAA Planetary Sunshade Workshop by Planetary Sunshade Foundation

15 May | London, United Kingdom - AI x Weather x Climate Demo Night by Encode: AI for Science Fellowship - Pillar VC x ARIA

18-19 May | University of Chicago - Frontiers in Climate Systems Engineering by CSEi

25 May | Online - Exploring climate interventions and the science-policy interface by WCRP

28 May | Arena 2 Plenum - Building and Sharing Knowledge of Climate Interventions by UArctic Congress

28-29 May | Belgium - International Forum on Solar Radiation Modification Research Governance by Co-Create

01 June | Online - CSAR lecture: Beyond Net Zero: Can We Repair The Climate? by University of Cambridge

02-04 June | Rwanda - The IAF Global Space Conference on Climate Change 2026 - Uniting Space and Earth for Climate Resilience

20-21 June | United States - Bridging the Knowledge Gaps in Climate Engineering with Experiments, Models, and Observations by Gordon Research Seminar

21-26 June 2026 | United States - Gordon Research Conference - Bridging Observations, Models, and Impacts in Solar Radiation Modification Research

10-11 September | Washington, DC. - 2026 RFF and Harvard SRM Social Science Research Workshop

12-15 October | Malaysia - Global Tipping Points 2026 | Abstract Deadline: 15 May

Solar Geoengineering Events Calendar

PODCASTS

Building Governance From Scratch — Janos Pasztor, Former ED, Carnegie Climate Governance Initiative | Inevitable & Obvious

“A former UN Assistant Secretary-General spent seven years trying to get world leaders to talk about planetary cooling. Most of them told him the same thing: “We can’t talk about this publicly.” Janos Pasztor led the Carnegie Climate Governance Initiative (C2G), the first organization to systematically bring solar radiation modification governance to governments, diplomats, and the UN system.

In this conversation, he walks through what those private meetings actually sounded like, why a landmark UN event was killed by COVID days before launch, how a Pakistani minister’s first question revealed what actually drives national policy, and why the biggest gap right now isn’t research or technology but the societal conversations that still aren’t happening.”

MCB: Can Brighter Clouds Cool the Planet? with Dr. Jessica Wan | CSEi

“Climate scientist and CSEi Research Fellow Jessica Wan joined the Oceanography podcast to explain how marine cloud brightening (MCB) works, and what climate models reveal about MCB’s unintended effects.”

A Natural Experiment in the Sky: Shipping, Clouds, and Climate | Oceanography

‎”Shipping pollution changed clouds. What can scientists learn? What happens when cleaner shipping fuel suddenly changes the atmosphere above the ocean? In this episode of Oceanography, meteorologist Dr. Michael Diamond explains how shipping pollution, cloud formation, and climate are connected, and how a major fuel regulation and disrupted global shipping routes created a rare natural experiment for scientists. The conversation explores aerosols, sulfur pollution, cloud brightening, and what these real-world changes can teach us about marine climate intervention, including marine cloud brightening and solar geoengineering. If you want to understand how human activity is already shaping clouds, warming, and climate policy, this episode offers a grounded, fascinating look at one of the most complex questions in climate science.”

SAI: Should We Reflect More Sunlight to Cool the Earth? with Dr. Kelsey Roberts | Oceanography

“Could reflecting sunlight help cool the Earth? Stratospheric aerosol injection, or SAI, is a proposed climate intervention that aims to reduce global temperatures by reflecting a small portion of incoming sunlight. Inspired by volcanic eruptions, this approach is being studied through climate and ecosystem models to better understand its potential effects. This episode explores how SAI could influence sea surface temperature, net primary production, ocean chemistry, and marine food webs. It also looks at how scientists use models to evaluate different deployment scenarios, including long-term use and phase-out strategies. Along the way, the conversation considers uncertainty, regional variability, and the role SAI might play within a broader portfolio of climate responses.”

MCB: Can Brighter Clouds Cool the Planet? with Dr. Jessica Wan | Oceanography

“Can brighter clouds cool Earth? Marine cloud brightening (MCB) is a proposed solar radiation modification strategy that could reflect sunlight, cool ocean regions, and potentially reduce dangerous heat. But can it actually work at scale, and what risks might come with it? In this episode, climate scientist Dr. Jessica Wan explains how MCB works, why researchers are studying sea salt aerosols and marine stratocumulus clouds, and what climate models reveal about unintended effects on weather, heatwaves, rainfall, and global circulation. The conversation explores geoengineering, climate intervention, El Niño, regional cooling, governance, and the major uncertainties surrounding marine cloud brightening as a response to climate change.”

As Temperatures Rise, Could Dimming the Sun Be a Solution? | Aspen Ideas

“What are the solutions to slowing the harmful effects of climate change? Could a plausible one be to block some sun to cool the planet? It may sound far-fetched but scientists are studying solar radiation management as one potential tool in the toolbox. But–it’s a controversial one. Could it be our emergency escape hatch, or a devastating Pandora’s Box? Two environmental pioneers discuss dimming the sun and other tactics to manage climate risk. Energy and Climate Editor for The Economist Vijay Vaitheeswaran speaks with Fred Krupp, president of Environmental Defense Fund, and David Keith, director of the Climate Systems Engineering Initiative at the University of Chicago.”

Solar Geoengineering: Who Gets to Decide? with Hassaan Sipra | Oceanography

“Solar geoengineering is a justice question. As sunlight reflection methods move from theory toward real-world research, who gets to decide what happens next? This episode explores the justice and governance questions surrounding solar geoengineering, also called solar radiation modification or SRM. Hassaan Sipra of the Alliance for Just Deliberation on Solar Geoengineering explains why the risks of climate intervention cannot be separated from existing inequalities in climate change, especially for climate-vulnerable communities in the Global South. The conversation covers environmental justice, public participation, free, prior and informed consent, governance gaps, research transparency, and why climate intervention must never replace emissions cuts, adaptation, climate finance, or loss and damage. A grounded, accessible finale to Oceanography’s marine climate intervention arc.”

Iceland Declared AMOC Collapse a Threat — Páll Gunnarsson, Founder of Reykjavík Institute | Inevitable & Obvious

“In November 2025, Iceland became the first nation to formally declare a potential collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation a threat to national security. The decision moved through the Ministry for Environment, Energy and Climate, escalated to the National Security Council, and produced an op-ed signed jointly by the Icelandic minister and Johan Rockström. None of the larger Atlantic-rim countries that would be devastated by an AMOC collapse have done anything comparable yet. Páll Gunnarsson, founder of the Reykjavík Institute, has been close to that political process and to the global advocacy effort Iceland has launched off the back of it. This conversation is about why a country of 400,000 people moved faster than the rest of the world, what made the declaration possible at all, and what Páll is now trying to organize at the EU level by September.

Páll Gunnarsson is the founder of the Reykjavík Institute, an Icelandic policy organization focused on climate tipping point response. Before founding the institute, he spent over a year working on AMOC advocacy as an independent activist, a track that began when he realized no one in the Icelandic governance system was actually focused on the threat. He came to climate work after a career in software engineering.”

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YOUTUBE VIDEOS

Dan Miller 20 Point Blueprint to Actually Fight Climate Change | Healthy Planet Action Coalition

“Climate Chat Host Dan Miller discusses his 20-Point Climate Action Plan of feasible and rational policies that eliminate fossil fuel emissions, remove CO2 from the atmosphere, temporarily cool the Earth, protect biodiversity, and address social and environmental justice. An open discussion follows Dan’s presentation.”

Can We Cool The Planet, And Should We Try? | Ep251: Ricken Patel | Cleaning Up Podcast

“What happens if we’re underestimating the speed and scale of climate risk? This week on Cleaning Up, Bryony Worthington sits down with Ricken Patel, Principal at Climate Hub & Founder of activist network Avaaz, to explore how to build successful climate movements, and the case for research into geoengineering.

Ricken argues that companies have been accidentally geoengineering since the turn of the Industrial Revolution, as a byproduct of their pollution, and says ‘it’s crazy’ that research into deliberate forms of geoengineering isn’t being allowed.”

Climate Repair: Hope or Hype? at Cambridge Festival | Centre for Climate Repair

“As global temperatures continue to rise, the idea of “repairing” the climate is capturing public imagination — and stirring controversy. From ocean-based carbon removal to solar radiation management, a host of interventions are being proposed as essential tools to combat climate change, while others warn they are risky distractions from cutting emissions and transforming our energy systems.

This engaging panel discussion will explore the growing field of climate repair and ask whether it represents genuine hope for a cooler planet, or simply the latest hype. Our expert speakers will examine the science behind these technologies, their potential benefits and risks, and the ethical and political questions surrounding their deployment.

With time for audience questions, this session promises an open and lively discussion about one of the most debated topics in climate science today. Whether you are an optimist, a sceptic, or simply curious, Climate Repair: Hope or Hype? invites you to join the conversation and form your own view on repairing our planet.”

Who funds and who pays? How solar geoengineering research is being bankrolled | Hands Off Mother Earth! (HOME) Alliance

“New investigations have revealed the extent to which billionaire philanthropists and governments of wealthy countries are driving research into a range of solar geoengineering technologies.

Watch this webinar as our experts look at key geoengineering companies and research funds, such as US-Israeli start-up Stardust Solutions, and the UK government’s Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA), as they unpack the solar geoengineering funding flows.”

SGRP Lunch Talk: Is Politically Feasible and Morally Responsible Geoengineering Possible? | The Salata Institute at Harvard University

“Public and private research on solar geoengineering is on the rise. Nearly all proposals for large-scale research or deployment envision that, given the scale and scope of interventions like stratospheric aerosol injection, some level of international cooperation or coordination is necessary for both success and moral license. Geoengineering more broadly faces the challenge by many opponents that even research, particularly large-scale outdoor experiments, risk “mitigation deterrence” — a moral hazard slowing the commitment to reduce anthropogenic greenhouse gases both by particular countries and under accepted international regimes. Along with the rise in research on geoengineering, there has been a flurry of proposed resolutions and well-organized campaigns in multilateral forums to limit all deployment and some research on solar geoengineering, most prominently advocacy for a global Non-Use Agreement. In this talk, Andrew Light will explore the current landscape of international debates on climate engineering and then try to address the question of whether it is feasible to get sufficient international coordination to attempt some form of climate engineering, and the conditions that would be necessary for some measure of international acceptance of it, as well as the broader problem of how to address the ethical, even existential, challenges to large-scale research or deployment.”

Can We Reflect the Sun & Cool the Earth? with SRM Scientist Doug MacMartin | Climate Chat

“In this Climate Chat episode, Cornell climate scientist -- and returning guest -- Douglas MacMartin discusses the latest research in Sunlight Reflection Methods (a.k.a, solar radiation management (SRM) and Solar Geoengineering) and the practicality of implementing SRM in the coming decade, if needed.”

Deliberately Cooling the Planet. Could we? Would we? Should we? | Royal Meteorological Society (RMetS)

Joe Rogan Experience - Kurt Metzger | PowerfulJRE

Kurt Metzger on Joe Rogan discusses cloud seeding, geoengineering, chemtrails, and the SATAN experiment for around 5m starting at around 55m.

CSEi Seminar Featuring Ramit Debnath (Cambridge University) | UChicago Climate Systems Engineering initiative

“Unveiling micro-signals of social tipping mechanisms in the climate discourse: Mechanistic insights using computational social sciences

This talk investigates how computational social sciences can identify “micro-signals,” subtle shifts in discourse, that signal social tipping points critical to climate action.”

The Degrees Initiative - Putting the Global South at the centre of solar geoengineering evaluation | The Degrees Initiative

“The Degrees Initiative is changing how the world evaluates solar radiation modification (SRM), also known as solar geoengineering.

If the world reaches a point where leaders must decide whether to use SRM to reduce climate impacts, they will need trusted experts to advise on risks, benefits, trade-offs and governance.

For over a decade, Degrees has led the world in building the capacity of developing countries to ask their own questions and do their own research, ensuring informed and confident representation in global discussions. We fund research, run engagement workshops and build communities, creating networks of independent experts.”

Engineering Our Planet, Part II: Building Platforms for Geoengineering Research and Governance | CSPO DC

“The second of the two-part event convened Geoengineering Policy, Research, and Engagement leaders and producers to facilitate conversations with the science and technology policy research, design, and engagement communities in Washington, DC, and online.”

Scenes from S&P Global’s CERAWeek 26 | David Keith, Climate Systems Engineering Initiative, UChicago | SmarterMarkets™

Solar Geoengineering Is Just the Beginning | Stardust CEO Yanai Yedvab | Forecast 2050

“Yanai Yedvab thinks we need to completely overhaul the infrastructure of humanity to avoid a climate disaster, and we can’t afford to wait the 70 years it’ll take to wean off fossil fuels. Before founding Stardust, Yanai spent nearly three decades in Israeli nuclear research, ending up as deputy chief scientist at the Israel Atomic Energy Commission.

Stardust is developing reflective particles to disperse into the upper atmosphere that will buy us the several decades we need to transition into a low-carbon economy. We sat down in New York to talk about how the technology works, the dangers at stake if we do nothing, and Yanai’s radical optimism in spite of everything.”

The Albedo Accord | Alinka Rutkowska

“Join host Andrew Dupy for a fascinating deep dive into the future of our planet with guest Robbie Tulip. Robbie is an author and climate expert who is challenging the traditional “doom and gloom” narrative of climate change.

In this episode, Robbie discusses how we can move beyond the polarization of emissions debates to find practical, technology-driven solutions for global stabilization.”

Current Events: Are We Hitting the AMOC Tipping Point? with AMOC Scientist René van Westen | Climate Chat

“In this Climate Chat episode, we interview returning guest René van Westen on his latest Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) research, including his research that shows the recent sudden shift of the Gulf Stream is an indication of pending AMOC collapse.”

HPAC Town Hall and Bruce Melton - The History of Geoengineering | Healthy Planet Action Coalition

“Bruce Melton presents and leads discussion on: The History of Geoengineering”

Live Discussion: Would Solar Geoengineering Transform or Preserve Nature? | SRM360

“On 22 April 2026, SRM360 hosted a live discussion on human interactions with nature and what solar geoengineering could mean for the natural world. Watch the recording to explore this topic with expert panellists Mike Tidwell, Mark Lynas, and Arthur Obst.”

Plan C for Civilization” Film Screening Q&A - April 21, 2026 | UChicago Climate Systems Engineering initiative

“A discussion and Q&A with film producer/director Ben Kalina, and Professors David Keith and Elisabeth Moyer of the University of Chicago. Conversation moderated by Geneva Kirk Drayson (College, ‘26)”

Plan C for Civilization: Filmmaker Ben Kalina on Solar Geoengineering, Climate Risk & Films | Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship

“Host Mark McNees interviews award-winning filmmaker Ben Kalina on the InNOLEvation® Mindset podcast, powered by the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship, about his climate-focused documentary work and his new film, “Plan C for Civilization.” Kalina traces his upbringing in rural Vermont and his early concern about global warming, then discusses past projects on sea-level rise and other environmental issues. The conversation explores plastic pollution, microplastics, corporate responsibility, limits to recycling, and the need for regulation and open dialogue. Kalina previews his film, which follows researcher David Keith and others in the contentious field of solar geoengineering (sunlight reflection), highlighting governance, trust, unintended consequences, and moral hazard. He also explains the economics of independent documentary filmmaking, including crowdfunding, grants, creative control, distribution challenges, and plans for screenings and eventual wider release via the film’s website.”

Reflect the sun to slow down climate change? | The Royal Society

“Solar Radiation Modification describes several possibly interventions designed to increase the Earth’s albedo (reflectivity) reducing the amount of heat absorbed from the Sun. From ships spraying particles into the lower atmosphere to brighten clouds to high flying aircraft injecting reflective aerosols into the stratosphere, find out about the techniques some scientists say might just work.”

Janos Pasztor: Solar Radiation Modification and Our Future | Climate Emergency Forum

“This episode of Climate Emergency Forum features a wide‑ranging conversation with Janos Pasztor, former UN Assistant Secretary‑General for Climate Change and founding director of the Carnegie Climate Governance Initiative (C2G). We explore how decades of climate diplomacy led him into the controversial world of solar radiation modification (SRM) and his recent work engaging directly with private actors like Stardust that are developing stratospheric aerosol injection technologies.”

Stratospheric Aerosol Injection and Global Land Carbon Storage | Remove and Reflect Podcast

“This episode covers a research article that investigates the potential impacts of stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) on global vegetation and land carbon storage using five advanced Earth System Models. The study concludes that this form of geoengineering could significantly enhance net primary productivity (NPP) and terrestrial carbon sequestration, largely due to the benefits of CO2 fertilization occurring under cooler temperatures. A primary focus is the Amazon rainforest, which appears to gain protection from climate-driven dieback and carbon loss when SAI is applied to mitigate extreme warming. However, the authors note that these positive effects are not universal, as some regions like Indonesia and eastern Africa may experience declines in productivity due to shifting rainfall patterns. Ultimately, while SAI may offer a temporary defense for vulnerable ecosystems, the researchers emphasize that it does not replace the fundamental need for greenhouse gas mitigation.”

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1. This Week’s Top SRM Updates

2. Research Papers

3. Web Posts

4. Upcoming Events

5. Podcasts

6. YouTube Videos

7. Short Course

THIS WEEK’S TOP SRM HIGHLIGHTS

RESEARCH PAPERS

Projected Future of African Marine Ecosystems Under Climate Change and Stratospheric Aerosol Injection

Authors: Founi M. Awo, Babatunde J. Abiodun, Isabelle Ansorge, et al.

Synopsis: According to this study, stratospheric Aerosol Injection under ARISE-SAI-1.5 may limit warming to 1.5°C but offers mixed outcomes for African coastal ecosystems. While it can stabilize sea surface temperature, salinity, and chlorophyll declines, it does not fully prevent acidification or subsurface oxygen loss. Climate change alone reduces productivity and alters marine chemistry, with SAI only partially mitigating these impacts.

Energetic constraints on tropical precipitation changes under stratospheric aerosol geoengineering: a topical review

Authors: Anu Xavier, Govindasamy Bala and Thejas Kallihosur

Synopsis: Since Paul Crutzen highlighted Stratospheric Aerosol Geoengineering (SAG), research has expanded on its impacts on tropical precipitation. This review shows changes are largely governed by global and interhemispheric energy budget constraints, influencing rainfall and the Intertropical Convergence Zone. It outlines how SAG design may reduce harmful precipitation shifts.

Calcite plumes for the mitigation of extreme heat events

Authors: Alan Hoback

Synopsis: This study revealed that urban cooling using airborne Calcite plumes could significantly reduce heat and energy use. In Las Vegas, a ring of towers dispersing calcite aerosols may cut solar radiation by ~50%, lowering peak temperatures by 5–6°C. Modeling suggests 38% savings in air-conditioning energy and 15% annual energy reduction, with 4–6 year payback and added benefits from improved health, tourism, and reduced emissions.

Quantifying the effectiveness of multiple SAI strategies across different dimensions

Authors: Dr. Cindy Wang, Dr. Daniele Visioni, Dr. Walker Raymond Lee, et al.

Synopsis: Stratospheric Aerosol Injection can cool the planet by reflecting sunlight, but matching global temperature targets doesn’t ensure regional or seasonal climate recovery. This study introduces a variability-scaled “distance-to-target” metric to assess how well SAI restores climate patterns. Applied across models like CESM2-WACCM6 and UKESM1, it reveals gaps between global success and local climate outcomes.

Managing climate overshoot: A risk-based strategy for climate stabilisation

Authors: Graeme Taylor, Peter Wadhams, Tom Goreau, Suzanne Reed, Heri Kuswanto, Daniele Visioni, and Dennis Garrity

Synopsis: This study entails that global warming is accelerating, while emissions cuts and carbon removal alone are too slow to prevent near-term climate risks. This mismatch stems from underestimated nonlinear impacts and delays in action. A risk-based strategy is needed, combining rapid decarbonization, scaled carbon removal, and carefully governed cooling interventions, while weighing intervention risks against inaction to avoid irreversible Earth-system disruption.

WEB POSTS

Earth.com - Reducing air pollution has triggered something worse that scientists didn’t predict

Environmental Defense Fund - EDF Submits Response to UN Special Rapporteur on Climate Technologies and Human Rights

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists - Emergency brakes: How to limit temperatures long before the last resort of geoengineering

Lawfree - Reframing the Conversation on Climate Intervention and Security

Science.Orf - Tiny aerosols could influence the climate

Manchester Evening News - Government issues statement on ‘weather modification’ in UK after calls for ban

The Degrees Initiative - ‘A beautiful chance to better understand how the field is built and evolving’ – reflections from GeoMIP

Eos - Toward Marine Cloud Brightening at Scale: A Science Agenda

Upon Further Reflection - Award Announcement: Effects of SAI on Tipping Points & Climate Impacts

ARIA - Unearthing the known unknowns - A joint workshop on climate cooling and tipping points

Stardust is tackling the wrong problem with the wrong structure (David Keith)

Taylor & Francis Online - The long heat: climate politics when it’s too late (Book Review)

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UPCOMING EVENTS

06 May | Oxford St., Cambridge - Thinking Well About Solar Geoengineering by Harvard Solar Geoengineering Research Program

06 May | University of Cambridge & Online - A Polarised Debate: Is There a Middle Ground on Geoengineering? by Center for Climate Repair

12 May | University of Cambridge - Climate Repair Symposium by Center for Climate Repair

13-15 May | University of Nottingham - IAA Planetary Sunshade Workshop by Planetary Sunshade Foundation

15 May | London, United Kingdom - AI x Weather x Climate Demo Night by Encode: AI for Science Fellowship - Pillar VC x ARIA (NEW)

18-19 May | University of Chicago - Frontiers in Climate Systems Engineering by CSEi

25 May | Online - Exploring climate interventions and the science-policy interface by WCRP

28 May | Arena 2 Plenum - Building and Sharing Knowledge of Climate Interventions by UArctic Congress

28-29 May | Belgium - International Forum on Solar Radiation Modification Research Governance by Co-Create

01 June | Online - CSAR lecture: Beyond Net Zero: Can We Repair The Climate? by University of Cambridge

02-04 June | Rwanda - The IAF Global Space Conference on Climate Change 2026 - Uniting Space and Earth for Climate Resilience

20-21 June | United States - Bridging the Knowledge Gaps in Climate Engineering with Experiments, Models, and Observations by Gordon Research Seminar

21-26 June 2026 | United States - Gordon Research Conference - Bridging Observations, Models, and Impacts in Solar Radiation Modification Research

10-11 September | Washington, DC. - 2026 RFF and Harvard SRM Social Science Research Workshop

12-15 October | Malaysia - Global Tipping Points 2026 | Abstract Deadline: 15 May

Solar Geoengineering Events Calendar

PODCASTS

Solar Geoengineering: Who Gets to Decide? with Hassaan Sipra | Oceanography

“Solar geoengineering is a justice question. As sunlight reflection methods move from theory toward real-world research, who gets to decide what happens next? This episode explores the justice and governance questions surrounding solar geoengineering, also called solar radiation modification or SRM. Hassaan Sipra of the Alliance for Just Deliberation on Solar Geoengineering explains why the risks of climate intervention cannot be separated from existing inequalities in climate change, especially for climate-vulnerable communities in the Global South. The conversation covers environmental justice, public participation, free, prior and informed consent, governance gaps, research transparency, and why climate intervention must never replace emissions cuts, adaptation, climate finance, or loss and damage. A grounded, accessible finale to Oceanography’s marine climate intervention arc.”

Iceland Declared AMOC Collapse a Threat — Páll Gunnarsson, Founder of Reykjavík Institute | Inevitable & Obvious

“In November 2025, Iceland became the first nation to formally declare a potential collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation a threat to national security. The decision moved through the Ministry for Environment, Energy and Climate, escalated to the National Security Council, and produced an op-ed signed jointly by the Icelandic minister and Johan Rockström. None of the larger Atlantic-rim countries that would be devastated by an AMOC collapse have done anything comparable yet. Páll Gunnarsson, founder of the Reykjavík Institute, has been close to that political process and to the global advocacy effort Iceland has launched off the back of it. This conversation is about why a country of 400,000 people moved faster than the rest of the world, what made the declaration possible at all, and what Páll is now trying to organize at the EU level by September.

Páll Gunnarsson is the founder of the Reykjavík Institute, an Icelandic policy organization focused on climate tipping point response. Before founding the institute, he spent over a year working on AMOC advocacy as an independent activist, a track that began when he realized no one in the Icelandic governance system was actually focused on the threat. He came to climate work after a career in software engineering.”

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YOUTUBE VIDEOS

Reflect the sun to slow down climate change? | The Royal Society

“Solar Radiation Modification describes several possibly interventions designed to increase the Earth’s albedo (reflectivity) reducing the amount of heat absorbed from the Sun. From ships spraying particles into the lower atmosphere to brighten clouds to high flying aircraft injecting reflective aerosols into the stratosphere, find out about the techniques some scientists say might just work.”

Janos Pasztor: Solar Radiation Modification and Our Future | Climate Emergency Forum

“This episode of Climate Emergency Forum features a wide‑ranging conversation with Janos Pasztor, former UN Assistant Secretary‑General for Climate Change and founding director of the Carnegie Climate Governance Initiative (C2G). We explore how decades of climate diplomacy led him into the controversial world of solar radiation modification (SRM) and his recent work engaging directly with private actors like Stardust that are developing stratospheric aerosol injection technologies.”

Stratospheric Aerosol Injection and Global Land Carbon Storage | Remove and Reflect Podcast

“This episode covers a research article that investigates the potential impacts of stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) on global vegetation and land carbon storage using five advanced Earth System Models. The study concludes that this form of geoengineering could significantly enhance net primary productivity (NPP) and terrestrial carbon sequestration, largely due to the benefits of CO2 fertilization occurring under cooler temperatures. A primary focus is the Amazon rainforest, which appears to gain protection from climate-driven dieback and carbon loss when SAI is applied to mitigate extreme warming. However, the authors note that these positive effects are not universal, as some regions like Indonesia and eastern Africa may experience declines in productivity due to shifting rainfall patterns. Ultimately, while SAI may offer a temporary defense for vulnerable ecosystems, the researchers emphasize that it does not replace the fundamental need for greenhouse gas mitigation.”

SHORT COURSE

08-09 May | Pwani University, Kenya - Short Course on Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) and Solar Radiation Modification (SRM) (Emerging Climate Frontiers)

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1. This Week’s Top SRM Updates

2. Research Papers

3. Thesis

4. Reports

5. Web Posts

6. Job Opportunities

7. Upcoming Events

8. Podcasts

9. YouTube Videos

10. Deadlines

THIS WEEK’S TOP SRM UPDATES

RESEARCH PAPERS

Who Controls the Climate? Negotiating the Global Governance of Geo-engineering: A non-scorable real-world negotiation Simulation

Authors: Peter Kesting, Remigiusz Smolinski

Synopsis: This study explores geoengineering governance through a simulated international negotiation. Participants represent pro-innovation and precautionary perspectives, addressing risks like environmental harm, inequity, and potential weaponization. In the absence of clear global rules, the exercise highlights tensions between technological promise and climate justice, aiming to develop shared principles and policy recommendations for responsible geoengineering governance.

An unrecognized mode of small particles in the lower stratosphere

Authors: Ming Lyu, Adam T. Ahern et al.

Synopsis: Aircraft observations reveal that sub–150 nm particles dominate aerosol surface area in the lower stratosphere, forming a persistent bimodal distribution missed by models. These particles originate from both meteoric sulfuric acid and organic-rich tropospheric sources, influencing chemistry and ozone. Their presence affects aerosol growth and reactivity, introducing key uncertainties for climate modeling and SAI effectiveness.

Stratospheric aerosol injection geoengineering has the potential to increase land carbon storage and to protect the Amazon rainforest

Authors: Isobel M. Parry, Paul D. L. Ritchie, Olivier Boucher, Peter M. Cox, et al.

Synopsis: This study finds that SAI-based SRM can increase global vegetation productivity (+15.6% NPP) and land carbon storage (+5.9%) compared to SSP245, mainly due to CO₂ fertilization. Strong gains occur in the Amazon, suggesting protection against carbon loss. However, regional declines in productivity and carbon storage appear in areas like eastern Africa, Indonesia, and high latitudes, highlighting uneven ecological impacts.

The Solar radiation management and evaporative heat flux over West Africa: Insights from ERA5 Reanalysis, CMIP6 Models, and Stratospheric Aerosol Injection

Authors: Adenuga, K., Adenuga, K. P., Israel, E., Ojo, O. S., Oloniyo, O., Adeyemi, B., & Agele, S.

Synopsis: This study examines how SRM via SAI affects latent heat flux (LE) across West Africa using ERA5, CMIP6 (SSP245/585), and ARISE-SAI simulations. LE shows a strong coastal–Sahel gradient driven by moisture availability. Under SSP585, warming intensifies evaporative stress and drought risk. SAI moderates warming, reduces extreme LE, and shifts conditions toward pre-industrial levels, with strongest cooling in humid coastal regions - suggesting potential benefits for regional water and food security.

The enhanced capabilities of mid-infrared limb emission sounding to observe stratospheric aerosol injection geoengineering interventions - Preprint

Authors: Pasquale Sellitto, Mona Kosary, Michael Höpfner, Bernd Funke, et al.

Synopsis: This study shows that a proposed satellite concept (CAIRT) using high-spectral-resolution limb-emission sounding could rapidly detect and monitor even very small SAI deployments. It can quantify SO₂ injections within hours to days and track their evolution into sulphate aerosols over time and space. The results highlight major gaps in current satellite capabilities and the need for advanced monitoring systems for SRM oversight.

High-latitude, low-altitude stratospheric aerosol injection reshapes West African monsoon rainfall and associated dynamics - Preprint

Authors: Kwesi Twentwewa Quagraine, Kwesi Akumenyi Quagraine, Emmanuel Akalanyabah, Francis Nkrumah, Nana Ama Browne Klutse

Synopsis: HiLLA-SAI impacts on the West African Monsoon (WAM) are uncertain and model-dependent. Simulations (WACCM6, UKESM1) reproduce seasonality but show rainfall biases. SAI drives spatially varied precipitation changes, strongest in July–August. WACCM6 projects widespread wetting inland from the Guinea Coast, while UKESM1 shows weaker, mixed responses with regional drying. Both indicate shorter coastal wet spells and longer Sahel droughts, linked to a weakened temperature gradient and southward-shifted rain belt.

Regional Economic Impacts and Emission Responses under Solar Radiation Modification - Preprint

Authors: Jenny Bjordal , Evelien van Dijk, Henri Cornec, Anthony Alan Smith, Jr., Trude Storelvmo

Synopsis: Using the NorESM2-DIAM model, this study finds that a 1% reduction in solar radiation via SRM could boost GDP per capita in most countries, with the largest gains in low-income regions—reducing global inequality. However, these benefits may come with higher emissions, highlighting key trade-offs between economic gains, equity improvements, and long-term climate risks.

THESIS

Investigation of volcanic effects on the particle size of stratospheric aerosols

Authors: Felix Wrana

Synopsis: A new SAGE III-based algorithm retrieves stratospheric aerosol size distributions with reduced ambiguity, producing one of the most reliable datasets to date. It reveals that some small tropical volcanic eruptions decrease aerosol size for up to 9 months—contrary to expectations. Results highlight key uncertainties in aerosol behavior, affecting climate modeling and SRM predictability.

REPORTS

The health implications of SRM ethics and governance: a Global South perspective

Authors: Luna, F.; Santi, M. F.; Daly, T. & Mastroleo, I.

Synopsis: This report examines ethical, governance, and health dimensions of SRM, highlighting major uncertainties and uneven risks, especially in the Global South. It calls for anticipatory governance, a WHO-led “health-first” framework, stronger public engagement, and equity-centered decision-making. Prioritizing mitigation, expanding health research, and ensuring inclusive global participation are identified as essential for responsible SRM oversight.

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WEB POSTS

The Times - A new way to cool the Earth: give clouds a silver lining

Inevitable & Obvious - On the Ground at Stabilize Earth

The Energy Mix - Geoengineering On the Table, and Under Fire, As Scientists Race to Save Melting Thwaites Glacier

Renaissance Philanthropy - Arctic Stabilization Initiative - Advancing Arctic-targeted climate interventions to slow or reverse our trajectory toward planetary thresholds

Heatmap - Scoop: New Nonprofit Backs Unique Approach to Geoengineering the Arctic

CBN - British scientists firing salt water into clouds in bold attempt to cool Earth

New American - States Push Back Against Geoengineering and Cloud Seeding

MIT Technology Review - There is no nature anymore - No part of the globe is free of human fingerprints. Should we deploy technology to change it back?

Phys.Org - Geoengineering could protect Amazon rainforest from climate change

The ARC: Thoughts on a safe climate future - A bold research initiative to stabilize the Arctic

Cambridge in America - Earth Month 2026: Leading Cambridge Climate Scientist Shaun Fitzgerald on the State of the Planet

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Research Associate in Climate Dynamics at Imperial College London | Deadline: 13 May 2026

“Applications are invited for a fully funded fixed-term position at the Research Associate (postdoc) level in understanding the global climate response to stratospheric perturbations from solar radiation management (SRM).

The position will be co-supervised by Dr Paulo Ceppi and Dr Colleen Golja and will be based in the Department of Physics.”

PhD student in Atmospheric Sciences and Oceanography, focus on Marine Cloud Brightening at Stockholm University

“The Department of Meteorology at Stockholm University (MISU) conducts research and education spanning the atmosphere, ocean and physical climate sciences.”

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UPCOMING EVENTS

30 April | Online - Insights from the Montreal Protocol for Climate Interventions (NEW)

03-08 May | Vienna, Austria & Online - EGU26

04 May | Boston, Massachusetts - Heading past 1.5C - Could Solar Geoengineering help? by Duncan McLaren & Boston Climate Week

04 May | San Francisco - Frontiers in Engineering for Sunlight Reflection - Workshop (NEW)

06 May | Oxford St., Cambridge - Thinking Well About Solar Geoengineering by Harvard Solar Geoengineering Research Program

06 May | University of Cambridge & Online - A Polarised Debate: Is There a Middle Ground on Geoengineering? by Center for Climate Repair (NEW)

12 May | University of Cambridge - Climate Repair Symposium by Center for Climate Repair (NEW)

13-15 May | University of Nottingham - IAA Planetary Sunshade Workshop by Planetary Sunshade Foundation

18-19 May | University of Chicago - Frontiers in Climate Systems Engineering by CSEi

25 May | Online - Exploring climate interventions and the science-policy interface by WCRP

28 May | Arena 2 Plenum - Building and Sharing Knowledge of Climate Interventions by UArctic Congress

28-29 May | Belgium - International Forum on Solar Radiation Modification Research Governance by Co-Create

01 June | Online - CSAR lecture: Beyond Net Zero: Can We Repair The Climate? by University of Cambridge (NEW)

02-04 June | Rwanda - The IAF Global Space Conference on Climate Change 2026 - Uniting Space and Earth for Climate Resilience

20-21 June | United States - Bridging the Knowledge Gaps in Climate Engineering with Experiments, Models, and Observations by Gordon Research Seminar

21-26 June 2026 | United States - Gordon Research Conference - Bridging Observations, Models, and Impacts in Solar Radiation Modification Research

10-11 September | Washington, DC. - 2026 RFF and Harvard SRM Social Science Research Workshop

12-15 October | Malaysia - Global Tipping Points 2026 | Abstract Deadline: 15 May (NEW)

Solar Geoengineering Events Calendar

PODCASTS

A Natural Experiment in the Sky: Shipping, Clouds, and Climate | Oceanography

‎”Shipping pollution changed clouds. What can scientists learn? What happens when cleaner shipping fuel suddenly changes the atmosphere above the ocean? In this episode of Oceanography, meteorologist Dr. Michael Diamond explains how shipping pollution, cloud formation, and climate are connected, and how a major fuel regulation and disrupted global shipping routes created a rare natural experiment for scientists. The conversation explores aerosols, sulfur pollution, cloud brightening, and what these real-world changes can teach us about marine climate intervention, including marine cloud brightening and solar geoengineering. If you want to understand how human activity is already shaping clouds, warming, and climate policy, this episode offers a grounded, fascinating look at one of the most complex questions in climate science.”

SAI: Should We Reflect More Sunlight to Cool the Earth? with Dr. Kelsey Roberts | Oceanography

“Could reflecting sunlight help cool the Earth? Stratospheric aerosol injection, or SAI, is a proposed climate intervention that aims to reduce global temperatures by reflecting a small portion of incoming sunlight. Inspired by volcanic eruptions, this approach is being studied through climate and ecosystem models to better understand its potential effects. This episode explores how SAI could influence sea surface temperature, net primary production, ocean chemistry, and marine food webs. It also looks at how scientists use models to evaluate different deployment scenarios, including long-term use and phase-out strategies. Along the way, the conversation considers uncertainty, regional variability, and the role SAI might play within a broader portfolio of climate responses.”

MCB: Can Brighter Clouds Cool the Planet? with Dr. Jessica Wan | Oceanography

“Can brighter clouds cool Earth? Marine cloud brightening (MCB) is a proposed solar radiation modification strategy that could reflect sunlight, cool ocean regions, and potentially reduce dangerous heat. But can it actually work at scale, and what risks might come with it? In this episode, climate scientist Dr. Jessica Wan explains how MCB works, why researchers are studying sea salt aerosols and marine stratocumulus clouds, and what climate models reveal about unintended effects on weather, heatwaves, rainfall, and global circulation. The conversation explores geoengineering, climate intervention, El Niño, regional cooling, governance, and the major uncertainties surrounding marine cloud brightening as a response to climate change.”

As Temperatures Rise, Could Dimming the Sun Be a Solution? | Aspen Ideas

“What are the solutions to slowing the harmful effects of climate change? Could a plausible one be to block some sun to cool the planet? It may sound far-fetched but scientists are studying solar radiation management as one potential tool in the toolbox. But–it’s a controversial one. Could it be our emergency escape hatch, or a devastating Pandora’s Box? Two environmental pioneers discuss dimming the sun and other tactics to manage climate risk. Energy and Climate Editor for The Economist Vijay Vaitheeswaran speaks with Fred Krupp, president of Environmental Defense Fund, and David Keith, director of the Climate Systems Engineering Initiative at the University of Chicago.”

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YOUTUBE VIDEOS

HPAC Town Hall and Bruce Melton - The History of Geoengineering | Healthy Planet Action Coalition

“Bruce Melton presents and leads discussion on: The History of Geoengineering”

Live Discussion: Would Solar Geoengineering Transform or Preserve Nature? | SRM360

“On 22 April 2026, SRM360 hosted a live discussion on human interactions with nature and what solar geoengineering could mean for the natural world. Watch the recording to explore this topic with expert panellists Mike Tidwell, Mark Lynas, and Arthur Obst.”

Plan C for Civilization” Film Screening Q&A - April 21, 2026 | UChicago Climate Systems Engineering initiative

“A discussion and Q&A with film producer/director Ben Kalina, and Professors David Keith and Elisabeth Moyer of the University of Chicago. Conversation moderated by Geneva Kirk Drayson (College, ‘26)”

Plan C for Civilization: Filmmaker Ben Kalina on Solar Geoengineering, Climate Risk & Films | Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship

“Host Mark McNees interviews award-winning filmmaker Ben Kalina on the InNOLEvation® Mindset podcast, powered by the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship, about his climate-focused documentary work and his new film, “Plan C for Civilization.” Kalina traces his upbringing in rural Vermont and his early concern about global warming, then discusses past projects on sea-level rise and other environmental issues. The conversation explores plastic pollution, microplastics, corporate responsibility, limits to recycling, and the need for regulation and open dialogue. Kalina previews his film, which follows researcher David Keith and others in the contentious field of solar geoengineering (sunlight reflection), highlighting governance, trust, unintended consequences, and moral hazard. He also explains the economics of independent documentary filmmaking, including crowdfunding, grants, creative control, distribution challenges, and plans for screenings and eventual wider release via the film’s website.”

DEADLINES

21 & 22 May | University of Cape Coast - SRM & CDR Short Course 2026

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While all content on Solar Geoengineering Updates is free for everyone, We urge those who can to become paid subscribers. Your support empowers this important work and helps us spread the message far and wide.

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1. This Week’s Top SRM Updates

2. Research Papers

3. Book

4. Web Posts

5. Upcoming Events

6. YouTube Videos

THIS WEEK’S TOP SRM HIGHLIGHTS

RESEARCH PAPERS

Which worlds? With whom?: Geoengineering through a relational multispecies lens

Authors: Julia D. Gibson

Synopsis: This essay argues that geoengineering must be understood as a relational response to the climate crisis, shaped by human and non-human interactions under colonial contexts. Through a case study of a farm pond, it highlights the need for multispecies dialogue, justice, and ethical reflection, emphasizing that environmental interventions carry deeper political, epistemic, and ecological meanings beyond their technical scope.

A call for strategic assessments of regional applications of solar radiation management: Exploring the challenges and opportunities from marine cloud brightening and albedo surface modification

Authors: U Baresi, CM Baum, TB Fischer, S Lockie, et al.

Synopsis: This paper explores SRM as a potential tool to reduce climate impacts, focusing on Marine Cloud Brightening and surface albedo modification to protect ice. While promising for limiting heat and extreme weather, these interventions face social, technical, and environmental uncertainties. Using the Great Barrier Reef case, it proposes Strategic Environmental Assessment as a globally relevant framework to enable more inclusive, sustainable decision-making for regional SRM deployment.

The global climate response to High-Latitude Low-Altitude Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (HiLLA-SAI)

Authors: Alistair Duffey, Walker Lee, Lauren Wheeler, Peter Irvine, et al.

Synopsis: This study examines high-latitude low-altitude (HiLLA) Stratospheric Aerosol Injection as a more feasible alternative to tropical high-altitude SAI using existing aircraft. Multi-model simulations show it delivers 40–70% of the cooling efficiency of conventional SAI, with stronger polar effects but still global impacts. Results highlight changes in sea ice, precipitation, and temperature, emphasizing HiLLA-SAI’s potential as an early-stage deployment strategy requiring further research.

BOOK

Building Capacity for Public Engagement on Solar Geoengineering

Authors: Sikina Jinnah, Zachary Dove, Shuchi Talati, Erika Check Hayden, Alice Siu and Mahmud Farooque

Synopsis: This book presents a toolkit and briefing resource to support inclusive public engagement on solar geoengineering (SG). While SG could reduce climate risks, it introduces uncertainties and ethical challenges. The Element outlines methods like workshops, participatory technology assessment, and deliberative polling, alongside an accessible briefing book covering SG science, policy, governance, and justice to enable informed, balanced public dialogue.

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WEB POSTS

Engineering & Technology – Is geoengineering our ‘escape hatch’ from climate change?

Ghana Web – Ghana advancing despite ‘deeply concerning’ global climate trends - Minister

The Conversation – Searching for a ‘technofix’ to climate change has many dangers. Could radical humility save the planet?

Rio Grande Guardian – Wolfe: Bans on cloud seeding and sunlight reflection would criminalize innovation

Reflective – Why field experiments will be necessary to understand stratospheric aerosol injection

The Guardian – Critical Atlantic current significantly more likely to collapse than thought

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UPCOMING EVENTS

21 April | Washington, District of Columbia - Governing the Future of Climate Intervention Research by Jake Schwartz (NEW)

21 April | San Francisco, California - Stabilize Earth by Devonian Systems

21 April | United States - “Plan C for Civilization” Screening and Q&A

22 April | University of Hamburg - Anticipatory Governance of Novel Technologies: The Case of Solar Geoengineering (NEW)

22 April | University of Hamburg - Planetary Crisis and Plurilateral Politics: Global Governance in the Age of Trump (NEW)

22 April | Online - Live Discussion: Would Solar Geoengineering Transform or Preserve Nature? by SRM360

03-08 May | Vienna, Austria & Online - EGU26

04 May | Boston, Massachusetts - Heading past 1.5C - Could Solar Geoengineering help? by Duncan McLaren & Boston Climate Week

06 May | Oxford St., Cambridge - Thinking Well About Solar Geoengineering by Harvard Solar Geoengineering Research Program (NEW)

13-15 May | University of Nottingham - IAA Planetary Sunshade Workshop by Planetary Sunshade Foundation

18-19 May | University of Chicago - Frontiers in Climate Systems Engineering by CSEi

25 May | Online - Exploring climate interventions and the science-policy interface by WCRP (NEW)

28 May | Arena 2 Plenum - Building and Sharing Knowledge of Climate Interventions by UArctic Congress

28-29 May | Belgium - International Forum on Solar Radiation Modification Research Governance by Co-Create

02-04 June | Rwanda - The IAF Global Space Conference on Climate Change 2026 - Uniting Space and Earth for Climate Resilience

20-21 June | United States - Bridging the Knowledge Gaps in Climate Engineering with Experiments, Models, and Observations by Gordon Research Seminar

21-26 June 2026 | United States - Gordon Research Conference - Bridging Observations, Models, and Impacts in Solar Radiation Modification Research

10-11 September | Washington, DC. - 2026 RFF and Harvard SRM Social Science Research Workshop

Solar Geoengineering Events Calendar

YOUTUBE VIDEOS

Solar Geoengineering Is Just the Beginning | Stardust CEO Yanai Yedvab | Forecast 2050

“Yanai Yedvab thinks we need to completely overhaul the infrastructure of humanity to avoid a climate disaster, and we can’t afford to wait the 70 years it’ll take to wean off fossil fuels. Before founding Stardust, Yanai spent nearly three decades in Israeli nuclear research, ending up as deputy chief scientist at the Israel Atomic Energy Commission.

Stardust is developing reflective particles to disperse into the upper atmosphere that will buy us the several decades we need to transition into a low-carbon economy. We sat down in New York to talk about how the technology works, the dangers at stake if we do nothing, and Yanai’s radical optimism in spite of everything.”

The Albedo Accord | Alinka Rutkowska

“Join host Andrew Dupy for a fascinating deep dive into the future of our planet with guest Robbie Tulip. Robbie is an author and climate expert who is challenging the traditional “doom and gloom” narrative of climate change.

In this episode, Robbie discusses how we can move beyond the polarization of emissions debates to find practical, technology-driven solutions for global stabilization.”

Current Events: Are We Hitting the AMOC Tipping Point? with AMOC Scientist René van Westen | Climate Chat

“In this Climate Chat episode, we interview returning guest René van Westen on his latest Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) research, including his research that shows the recent sudden shift of the Gulf Stream is an indication of pending AMOC collapse.”

Follow us on: Twitter | Bluesky | LinkedIn | Google Group | Podcast

Support us here:

While all content on Solar Geoengineering Updates is free for everyone, We urge those who can to become paid subscribers. Your support empowers this important work and helps us spread the message far and wide.

Support This Newsletter

Leave a comment

1. This Week’s Top SRM Updates

2. Research Papers

3. Web Posts

4. Call for Proposals

5. Job Opportunities

6. Upcoming Events

7. Podcasts

8. YouTube Videos

THIS WEEK’S TOP SRM HIGHLIGHTS

RESEARCH PAPERS

Projected temperature and precipitation extremes over Tanzania under stratospheric SO2 injection

Authors: Trisha D Patel, Mariam Nguvava and Romaric C Odoulami

Synopsis: Tanzania faces severe climate risks under RCP8.5, including up to +4 °C warming and intensified heat and rainfall extremes. Simulations from GLENS show Stratospheric Aerosol Injection could reduce warming by 1.5–4 °C but also lower rainfall and increase dry spells. These trade-offs may ease heat stress yet worsen water scarcity, highlighting uneven regional impacts and the need for cautious evaluation.

Learning From Public Health Emergencies For Solar Geoengineering Governance: The Filter And The Countermeasure

Authors: Guillermo Marín Penella, Timothy Daly, Ignacio Mastroleo

Synopsis: Drawing on medical research ethics, this study proposes a dual governance framework for climate engineering. It distinguishes between a long-term research “filter” to evaluate and refine interventions, and an emergency “countermeasure” pathway allowing temporary deployment when no alternatives exist. This approach aims to balance caution with responsiveness, improving oversight and decision-making under urgent climate risks.

Simulated response of the climate of eastern Africa to stratospheric aerosol intervention

Authors: Herbert O. Misiani, Hussen S. Endris, Franklin J. Opijah, et al.

Synopsis: Eastern Africa faces rising climate extremes under SSP2-4.5. Using CESM2-WACCM6 and ARISE-SAI, this study finds Stratospheric Aerosol Injection can reduce warming in near- and mid-term futures. However, rainfall responses vary by region and season, highlighting uncertain and uneven impacts and the need for cautious interpretation.

Field Observations of Sea Ice Thickening by Artificial Flooding

Authors: T. C. Hammer, L. L. van Dijke, A. Shestov, C. Haas, H. Hendrikse

Synopsis: Arctic sea ice loss is accelerating due to ice–albedo feedback, prompting interest in artificial thickening methods. This study tests seawater flooding to grow thicker ice in Svalbard. While flooding increased ice thickness by 26 cm and delayed internal decay by six days, it did not extend overall summer ice survival. Results highlight mixed effectiveness, with outcomes shaped by local conditions, and emphasize the need for larger-scale, multi-site experiments.

Organic Solar Radiation Modification

Authors: Markku Kulmala, Anton Laakso, Mikael Ehn, Katrianne Lehtipalo, Veli-Matti Kerminen

Synopsis: Greenhouse gas levels and emissions continue to rise while natural and technical carbon sinks lag behind, renewing interest in SRM. This study proposes Organic Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (OSAI), using isoprene or monoterpenes, as a potential alternative to sulfate-based SAI. Modeling suggests it could reduce risks like acid deposition and ozone damage, though uncertainties remain around stratospheric heating and ozone impacts.

Uncovering a Missing Factor in Marine Low Cloud Formation

Authors: Ehsan Erfani

Synopsis: Marine low clouds (MLCs) strongly influence Earth’s radiation balance, yet their response to climate variability remains uncertain. This study examines how the El Niño–Southern Oscillation affects MLCs over the Pacific. Results show regional contrasts: El Niño reduces clouds and cooling in the Northeast Pacific but enhances both in the Southeast Pacific. These differences are driven by shifts in circulation, inversion strength, and boundary-layer stability, improving understanding of cloud–climate interactions.

Dynamical and Radiative Influence on the Hadley Circulation by Aerosol-Cloud Interactions

Authors: Takanobu Yamaguchi, Ryuji Yoshida, Yao-Sheng Chen, Isabel L. McCoy, Graham Feingold

Synopsis: This study examines how aerosols influence large-scale circulation and cloud radiative effects using a high-resolution Hadley circulation model. Aerosols strengthen circulation and brighten clouds, though effects weaken with ocean coupling. Changes in cloud water, fraction, and droplet number drive CRE responses, especially in deep convection regions. Results show ocean–atmosphere coupling moderates aerosol impacts, highlighting complex feedbacks in climate systems.

Spatial and temporal distribution of stratospheric turbulence from global high-resolution radiosonde data - Preprint

Authors: Han-Chang Ko, Hongwei Sun

Synopsis: Stratospheric turbulence, though hard to observe, plays a key role in spreading momentum, gases, and aerosols. Using global radiosonde data (2014–2025), this study finds turbulence is strongest in stable but wind-sheared regions, with hotspots over Asia and mountainous areas. A notable maximum above the tropical tropopause suggests a favorable zone for rapid aerosol dispersion in Stratospheric Aerosol Injection, improving predictions of plume spread.

Assessing Future Temperature and Precipitation Responses to Solar Radiation Management in Bangladesh: A Comparative Analysis with SSP Scenarios - Preprint

Authors: Afifa Talukder, Mohammad Kamruzzaman, Syed Hafizur Rahman

Synopsis: Bangladesh faces rising heat and shifting rainfall under SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5. Using CMIP6 data, this study finds Solar Radiation Management scenarios (G6Solar, G6Sulfur) can moderate warming but slightly reduce precipitation, increasing drought risk. While SRM offsets temperature rise, it introduces rainfall uncertainties, reinforcing that it should complement, not replace, emissions cuts.

WEB POSTS

SRM360 - Do New Reports Signal a Shift in US Conservatives’ Approach to SRM?

DSG - The Danger of Performed Governance in SRM

SilverLining - Why Sustained Marine Observations Matter for Atmospheric Research

The Telegraph - The climate change scientists racing to dim the sun

Degrees Initiative - From curiosity to climate leadership: Dr Romaric C. Odoulami’s journey in African SRM research

Woodwell Climate Research Centre - The only thing crazier than talking about solar radiation management is not talking about it

Climate Uncovered - Solar Radiation Modification: A last resort, but for how much longer?

The Innovation Geoscience - Positive feedback of Gulf Stream latent heat flux in sustaining AMOC evolution under stratospheric aerosol injection

Carbon Brief - Guest post: How declining cloudiness is accelerating global warming

DSG - From Taboo to Assumed: How Carbon Dioxide Removal Advanced Before Governance Could Keep Up and What It Means for SRM

ACIRhub - How could SRM affect West Africa?

SRM360 - Stardust Publishes New Details on Its Climate Cooling Plans

ACIRH Hub - The ACIRH Story: 12 Years in the Making

‎Upon Further Reflection - Reflective at GeoMIP

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CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Call for Presentation Proposals: 2026 RFF and Harvard SRM Social Science Research Workshop | Deadline: 15 May 2026

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Postdoctoral Research Associate in Solar Radiation Management at The University of Edinburgh - College of Science and Engineering - School of GeoSciences | Deadline: 15 June 2026

“University of Edinburgh seek a postdoctoral research associate (PDRA) for a 24-month position to work on the UK NERC-funded grant “Quantifying Efficacy and risks of solar radiation management (SRM) approaches using natural analogues”. The project will use novel machine learning-based methods to determine the climate response to a range of natural event (e.g. wildfires, volcanic eruptions) which can be used as analogues of SRM to provide evidence for informing model improvement without worry about the risks of field experiments. The derived large-scale observational constraints will be used to constrain and advance climate models, and to attribute climate response to SRM.”

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UPCOMING EVENTS

14 April | Florida - FSU/Plan C for Civilization Screening

21 April | San Francisco, California - Stabilize Earth by Devonian Systems

21 April | United States - “Plan C for Civilization” Screening and Q&A

22 April | Online - Live Discussion: Would Solar Geoengineering Transform or Preserve Nature? by SRM360

03-08 May | Vienna, Austria & Online - EGU26

04 May | Boston, Massachusetts - Heading past 1.5C - Could Solar Geoengineering help? by Duncan McLaren & Boston Climate Week (NEW)

13-15 May | University of Nottingham - IAA Planetary Sunshade Workshop by Planetary Sunshade Foundation

18 May | University of Chicago - Frontiers in Climate Systems Engineering by CSEi

28 May | Arena 2 Plenum - Building and Sharing Knowledge of Climate Interventions by UArctic Congress (NEW)

28 – 29 May | Belgium - International Forum on Solar Radiation Modification Research Governance by Co-Create

02-04 June | Rwanda - The IAF Global Space Conference on Climate Change 2026 - Uniting Space and Earth for Climate Resilience

20-21 June | United States - Bridging the Knowledge Gaps in Climate Engineering with Experiments, Models, and Observations by Gordon Research Seminar

21-26 June 2026 | United States - Gordon Research Conference - Bridging Observations, Models, and Impacts in Solar Radiation Modification Research

10-11 September | Washington, DC. - 2026 RFF and Harvard SRM Social Science Research Workshop (NEW)

Solar Geoengineering Events Calendar

PODCASTS

Building Governance From Scratch — Janos Pasztor, Former ED, Carnegie Climate Governance Initiative | Inevitable & Obvious

“A former UN Assistant Secretary-General spent seven years trying to get world leaders to talk about planetary cooling. Most of them told him the same thing: “We can’t talk about this publicly.” Janos Pasztor led the Carnegie Climate Governance Initiative (C2G), the first organization to systematically bring solar radiation modification governance to governments, diplomats, and the UN system.

In this conversation, he walks through what those private meetings actually sounded like, why a landmark UN event was killed by COVID days before launch, how a Pakistani minister’s first question revealed what actually drives national policy, and why the biggest gap right now isn’t research or technology but the societal conversations that still aren’t happening.”

MCB: Can Brighter Clouds Cool the Planet? with Dr. Jessica Wan | CSEi

“Climate scientist and CSEi Research Fellow Jessica Wan joined the Oceanography podcast to explain how marine cloud brightening (MCB) works, and what climate models reveal about MCB’s unintended effects.”

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YOUTUBE VIDEOS

Can We Reflect the Sun & Cool the Earth? with SRM Scientist Doug MacMartin | Climate Chat

“In this Climate Chat episode, Cornell climate scientist -- and returning guest -- Douglas MacMartin discusses the latest research in Sunlight Reflection Methods (a.k.a, solar radiation management (SRM) and Solar Geoengineering) and the practicality of implementing SRM in the coming decade, if needed.”

Deliberately Cooling the Planet. Could we? Would we? Should we? | Royal Meteorological Society (RMetS)

Joe Rogan Experience - Kurt Metzger | PowerfulJRE

Kurt Metzger on Joe Rogan discusses cloud seeding, geoengineering, chemtrails, and the SATAN experiment for around 5m starting at around 55m.

CSEi Seminar Featuring Ramit Debnath (Cambridge University) | UChicago Climate Systems Engineering initiative

“Unveiling micro-signals of social tipping mechanisms in the climate discourse: Mechanistic insights using computational social sciences

This talk investigates how computational social sciences can identify “micro-signals,” subtle shifts in discourse, that signal social tipping points critical to climate action.”

The Degrees Initiative - Putting the Global South at the centre of solar geoengineering evaluation | The Degrees Initiative

“The Degrees Initiative is changing how the world evaluates solar radiation modification (SRM), also known as solar geoengineering.

If the world reaches a point where leaders must decide whether to use SRM to reduce climate impacts, they will need trusted experts to advise on risks, benefits, trade-offs and governance.

For over a decade, Degrees has led the world in building the capacity of developing countries to ask their own questions and do their own research, ensuring informed and confident representation in global discussions. We fund research, run engagement workshops and build communities, creating networks of independent experts.”

Engineering Our Planet, Part II: Building Platforms for Geoengineering Research and Governance | CSPO DC

“The second of the two-part event convened Geoengineering Policy, Research, and Engagement leaders and producers to facilitate conversations with the science and technology policy research, design, and engagement communities in Washington, DC, and online.”

Scenes from S&P Global’s CERAWeek 26 | David Keith, Climate Systems Engineering Initiative, UChicago | SmarterMarkets™

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Support us here:

While all content on Solar Geoengineering Updates is free for everyone, We urge those who can to become paid subscribers. Your support empowers this important work and helps us spread the message far and wide.

Support This Newsletter

Leave a comment

1. This Week’s Top SRM Updates

2. Research Papers

3. Web Posts

4. EGU26 SRM Papers

5. Job Opportunities

6. Upcoming Events

7. YouTube Videos

Donate < $10

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THIS WEEK’S TOP SRM UPDATES

RESEARCH PAPERS

Solar Geoengineering Effects on Malaria Transmission Risk in South Asia Under G6sulfur Scenario

Authors: Athar Hussain, Muhammad Ali Khan, Muhammad Shoaib

Synopsis: In this study, solar geoengineering (via Stratospheric Aerosol Injection) is assessed for its impact on malaria transmission in South Asia. Using EIR projections, results show a general decline in malaria risk under geoengineering compared to high-emissions scenarios, with the largest reductions in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan, highlighting potential public health implications of climate intervention.

Impacts of Solar Geoengineering through Stratospheric Aerosol Injection on Terrestrial Ecosystems and Ecosystem Services

Authors: Anna Harper, Christophe Francois, Lili Xia, Maxime Durand, Simone Tilmes, Gabriel Kooperman

Synopsis: Stratospheric Aerosol Injection could cool the planet by mimicking volcanic eruptions, but its ecological impacts remain uncertain. Model-based evidence suggests effects on ecosystems, crops, and carbon cycles via changes in radiation, rainfall, and ozone. Key gaps include limited representation of UV-B impacts, fire feedbacks, and high-latitude ecosystems, highlighting the need for improved, high-resolution Earth system modelling.

Why we need to explore conflict and competition around solar geoengineering

Authors: Ina Möller, Danielle N. Young

Synopsis: In this study, solar geoengineering is reframed not only as a climate response but as a potential instrument of geopolitical power. It emphasizes moving beyond cooperative scenarios to examine conflict and competition, calling for interdisciplinary research to better anticipate risks and inform governance that protects global stability and climate action.

Not yet partisan: Cultural Theory explains attitudes about solar radiation management in the US

Authors: Chris Koski and Paul Manson

Synopsis: In this study, cultural theory is used to explain public attitudes toward SRM in the US. Findings show partisanship is a weak predictor, while cultural values, such as egalitarianism and views on hierarchy, strongly shape support or skepticism. This contrasts with traditional climate policies, where partisanship plays a much larger role.

Could geoengineering ever start? Could it ever stop? Grist for “Destiny Studies” and “Continuity Ethics”

Authors: Robert Socolow

Synopsis: In this study, geoengineering is framed within emerging “Destiny Studies” and “Continuity Ethics,” exploring how humanity governs its long-term future. It examines how geoengineering might begin and end, warning that it could become difficult to stop or even “addictive.” The paper highlights risks of permanent reliance, calling for deeper interdisciplinary thinking on its ethical and societal implications.

A proposal for the safety and controllability requirements that SRM systems should meet

Authors: Eli Waxman, Amyad Spector, Yoav Lederer, Yair Segev, Tzemah Kislev, Yanai Yedvab, Doron Kushnir, and Roby Yahav

Synopsis: In this study, SRM, particularly Stratospheric Aerosol Injection, is assessed through proposed safety and controllability requirements. These criteria aim to guide research and development and support informed policy decisions. The framework offers an initial foundation for evaluating SRM systems and shaping responsible development and potential deployment.

Cloud-Top Relative Humidity Modulates Aerosol Effects Across Marine Cloud Regimes

Authors: Fan Liu, Feiyue Mao, Zengxin Pan, Daniel Rosenfeld, Wei Gong, Lin Zang

Synopsis: Aerosol–cloud interactions offset ~25% of greenhouse warming but remain uncertain due to differing effects of fine and coarse aerosols across cloud regimes. Using satellite and reanalysis data, this study shows fine aerosols strongly enhance cloud cooling, far exceeding sea-salt effects. Responses vary with cloud-top humidity, which controls whether evaporation or precipitation suppression dominates, shaping radiative impacts and cloud water changes.

Climate Engineering: Can Humans Reverse Global Warming?

Authors: Xojabekova Ramzida Uktam qizi

Synopsis: This article examines climate engineering through Carbon Dioxide Removal and Solar Radiation Management, outlining their mechanisms, benefits, and risks. It highlights scientific, ethical, and governance challenges, using real-world case studies. The study concludes these approaches can support, but not replace, emissions cuts, requiring strong global cooperation and responsible oversight.

Drivers of reduced permafrost cooling efficacy of equatorial stratospheric aerosol injection in the Eastern Arctic compared to a moderate emission pathway - Preprint

Authors: Isaline Businger, Rhonda Müller, Raleigh Grysko, Jacqueline Oehri, Jin-Soo Kim, and Gabriela Schaepman-Strub

Synopsis: In this study, SAI is evaluated for its effects on Arctic permafrost under the G6sulfur scenario. While SAI reduces overall warming and slows permafrost loss compared to high-emissions pathways, it alters atmospheric circulation, creating uneven regional impacts—enhancing thaw in some areas while reducing it in others—highlighting risks of unintended spatial consequences.

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WEB POSTS

Solar Geoengineering Updates - Monthly Solar Geoengineering Updates (March’2026)

Stardust Solution - Guiding Principles for Stardust’s Solar Radiation Modification Research

SRM360 - The Case for a Solar Geoengineering Research Governance Platform

CSEi - Dan Cziczo, Leading Atmospheric Scientist, Joins UChicago

Europe Scientist - Shading the Planet: The Case for Climate Intervention with High-Altitude Balloons

Nancy Mace - Rep. Nancy Mace Backs Legislation Banning Atmospheric Geoengineering Experiments Over South Carolina

Atlantic - A Private Company Wants to Block the Sun, Responsibly

LinkedIn - A trio of conservative US thinktanks have issued briefs on SRM

DSG - First Comes the Science: What Gene Editing’s Legitimacy Gap Reveals for SRM

E&E News by Politico - Solar geoengineering startup sets its own rules

Reflective Climate - SAI Simulator v1.3 Update: Sea Ice, Model Variability, and Data Export

Columbia Missourian - Clear skies legislation gets House hearing

Climate Court - State Climate Liability Shields in 2026: A Comparative Analysis of Utah, Iowa, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Louisiana

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EGU26S SRM PAPERS

Session AS3.43 - Effect of stratospheric aerosol injection scenarios on surface irradiation and solar energy production

Authors: Kevin Kilchhofer, Kyriaki Papachristopoulou, Manouk Geurts, Timofei Sukhodolov, and Stelios Kazadzis

Synopsis: In this study, the impacts of Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI) on clear-sky surface solar radiation (SSR) are quantified using radiative transfer modeling. Results show modest declines in direct sunlight (3–12%) but a ~40% increase in diffuse radiation, with stronger effects from solid particles. These shifts could affect solar PV performance, highlighting important economic and energy implications of SAI deployment.

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Operations Specialist, Arctic Stabilization Initiative at Renaissance Philanthropy

“ASI is a 5-year research initiative focused on reducing the risk of catastrophic Arctic climate tipping points — specifically Greenland Ice Sheet melt, Arctic sea-ice loss, and permafrost thaw — systems that are already showing signs of destabilization, with potential cascading impacts on sea levels, weather patterns, and geopolitical stability. Through a stage-gated research process, ASI evaluates potential Arctic-targeted interventions, with an initial focus on Mixed-Phase Cloud Thinning (MCT), to determine whether such approaches could credibly reduce catastrophic risk while building the scientific and governance foundations needed to assess their safety and feasibility.”

Communications Specialist, Science and Technology at The University of Chicago

“The University of Chicago Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth (ICSG) is a groundbreaking effort uniting faculty from across the university to advance society’s understanding of our energy and climate future. The Institute combines faculty insights in energy markets and policy, climate systems engineering, and energy technology to produce world-changing ideas while also investing in the next generation of energy and climate thinkers, leaders, and innovators through novel educational programs.”

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UPCOMING EVENTS

07 April | United States - Solar Radiation Modification to Help Address Climate Change? Prospects, Risks, and Governance by Duke University (NEW)

14 April | Florida - FSU/Plan C for Civilization Screening (NEW)

21 April | San Francisco, California - Stabilize Earth by Devonian Systems

21 April | United States - “Plan C for Civilization” Screening and Q&A (NEW)

22 April | Online - Live Discussion: Would Solar Geoengineering Transform or Preserve Nature? by SRM360 (NEW)

03-08 May | Vienna, Austria & Online - EGU26

13-15 May | University of Nottingham - IAA Planetary Sunshade Workshop by Planetary Sunshade Foundation

18 May | University of Chicago - Frontiers in Climate Systems Engineering by CSEi

28 – 29 May | Belgium - International Forum on Solar Radiation Modification Research Governance by Co-Create

02-04 June | Rwanda - The IAF Global Space Conference on Climate Change 2026 - Uniting Space and Earth for Climate Resilience

20-21 June | United States - Bridging the Knowledge Gaps in Climate Engineering with Experiments, Models, and Observations by Gordon Research Seminar

21-26 June 2026 | United States - Gordon Research Conference - Bridging Observations, Models, and Impacts in Solar Radiation Modification Research

Solar Geoengineering Events Calendar

YOUTUBE VIDEOS

Dan Miller 20 Point Blueprint to Actually Fight Climate Change | Healthy Planet Action Coalition

“Climate Chat Host Dan Miller discusses his 20-Point Climate Action Plan of feasible and rational policies that eliminate fossil fuel emissions, remove CO2 from the atmosphere, temporarily cool the Earth, protect biodiversity, and address social and environmental justice. An open discussion follows Dan’s presentation.”

Can We Cool The Planet, And Should We Try? | Ep251: Ricken Patel | Cleaning Up Podcast

“What happens if we’re underestimating the speed and scale of climate risk? This week on Cleaning Up, Bryony Worthington sits down with Ricken Patel, Principal at Climate Hub & Founder of activist network Avaaz, to explore how to build successful climate movements, and the case for research into geoengineering.

Ricken argues that companies have been accidentally geoengineering since the turn of the Industrial Revolution, as a byproduct of their pollution, and says ‘it’s crazy’ that research into deliberate forms of geoengineering isn’t being allowed.”

Climate Repair: Hope or Hype? at Cambridge Festival | Centre for Climate Repair

“As global temperatures continue to rise, the idea of “repairing” the climate is capturing public imagination — and stirring controversy. From ocean-based carbon removal to solar radiation management, a host of interventions are being proposed as essential tools to combat climate change, while others warn they are risky distractions from cutting emissions and transforming our energy systems.

This engaging panel discussion will explore the growing field of climate repair and ask whether it represents genuine hope for a cooler planet, or simply the latest hype. Our expert speakers will examine the science behind these technologies, their potential benefits and risks, and the ethical and political questions surrounding their deployment.

With time for audience questions, this session promises an open and lively discussion about one of the most debated topics in climate science today. Whether you are an optimist, a sceptic, or simply curious, Climate Repair: Hope or Hype? invites you to join the conversation and form your own view on repairing our planet.”

Who funds and who pays? How solar geoengineering research is being bankrolled | Hands Off Mother Earth! (HOME) Alliance

“New investigations have revealed the extent to which billionaire philanthropists and governments of wealthy countries are driving research into a range of solar geoengineering technologies.

Watch this webinar as our experts look at key geoengineering companies and research funds, such as US-Israeli start-up Stardust Solutions, and the UK government’s Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA), as they unpack the solar geoengineering funding flows.”

SGRP Lunch Talk: Is Politically Feasible and Morally Responsible Geoengineering Possible? | The Salata Institute at Harvard University

“Public and private research on solar geoengineering is on the rise. Nearly all proposals for large-scale research or deployment envision that, given the scale and scope of interventions like stratospheric aerosol injection, some level of international cooperation or coordination is necessary for both success and moral license. Geoengineering more broadly faces the challenge by many opponents that even research, particularly large-scale outdoor experiments, risk “mitigation deterrence” — a moral hazard slowing the commitment to reduce anthropogenic greenhouse gases both by particular countries and under accepted international regimes. Along with the rise in research on geoengineering, there has been a flurry of proposed resolutions and well-organized campaigns in multilateral forums to limit all deployment and some research on solar geoengineering, most prominently advocacy for a global Non-Use Agreement. In this talk, Andrew Light will explore the current landscape of international debates on climate engineering and then try to address the question of whether it is feasible to get sufficient international coordination to attempt some form of climate engineering, and the conditions that would be necessary for some measure of international acceptance of it, as well as the broader problem of how to address the ethical, even existential, challenges to large-scale research or deployment.”

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TOP 10 SRM UPDATES FROM MARCH 2026

UN OHCHR Seeks Input on Climate Technologies and their Impact on Human Rights

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has launched a call for input on climate-related technologies, including geoengineering (CDR & SRM), to assess their potential impacts on human rights. The initiative will inform a report examining both benefits and risks of technologies used for climate mitigation, adaptation, and responses to climate loss and damage. Deadline: 30 April 2026

US National Security Framing of Planet-Cooling Technologies (ACCF Report)

A report from the American Council for Capital Formation, led by former Trump climate adviser George David Banks, calls for the U.S. to take a leading role in researching and regulating solar geoengineering or “planet-cooling” technologies. It frames climate intervention research as a national security issue, warning that if adversaries like China advance first, it could create strategic and geopolitical risks. The report urges federally supported research alongside international governance to reduce the chance of unilateral deployment and global tensions.

Growing Resistance to Geoengineering Ban Proposals in US States

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed a bill (HB2056) that sought to ban geoengineering and atmospheric modification activities, calling it a response to a “non-existent problem” and a “bureaucratic distraction”. Meanwhile, the Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute said Texas should resist any ban on weather modification and instead support continued research, arguing such technologies could help address growing risks from extreme weather.

Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)’s Pro-SRM Research Announcement

NRDC holds that as climate risks intensify and temperature thresholds near or exceed 1.5°C, societies may need to examine a full spectrum of responses, including solar geoengineering. While emissions reductions, adaptation, and carbon removal remain central, the organization supports structured research into solar radiation management to understand its potential role and limitations. It emphasizes that such approaches carry significant scientific, ethical, and governance uncertainties and cannot replace decarbonization, but ignoring them could leave critical gaps in preparedness for future climate decisions.

Researchers Developed CIDER for Expanding Scenario Exploration of SAI

Jared Farley et al. developed the Climate Intervention Dynamical Emulator (CIDER), a tool designed to simulate stratospheric aerosol injection across a wide range of scenarios. Trained on Earth system models, it enables rapid exploration of diverse deployment strategies and their global and regional climate responses at significantly lower computational cost, while retaining simplified dynamics. It expands the exploration space beyond what is feasible with traditional Earth system models, allowing broader assessment of SRM strategies. A web-based version is available here.

CSEi Announced Latest Research Awards

The Climate Systems Engineering initiative (CSEi) at the University of Chicago has announced its latest round of research awards, funding eight new faculty-led projects focused on climate intervention strategies. The selected work spans solar geoengineering, carbon removal, and related climate systems engineering approaches, with emphasis on evaluating risks, benefits, and tradeoffs across intervention pathways, as well as studying how public narratives about climate intervention shape societal understanding of the risks.

Impurities Undermine Diamond Dust’s Potential for SAI

New research from Washington University challenged earlier claims that diamond dust could serve as an effective solar geoengineering material. Using detailed simulations, the study finds that impurities formed during synthetic production increase light absorption, reducing reflective cooling efficiency by up to 25%. The findings suggest diamond-based aerosols may be less effective and more complex than assumed, highlighting material purity as a key factor in aerosol-based geoengineering design.

New Framework Guides SRM Field Experiments

Doherty et al. established a structured pathway for advancing solar radiation modification research, particularly marine cloud brightening, from theory to climate-relevant testing. It identifies gaps in detecting radiative effects and linking cloud microphysics to large-scale outcomes. It proposes staged scales, from microphysical and localized tests (~10-100 km²), to regional trials (~10³-10⁵ km²), and larger perturbations, each gated by measurable thresholds. Crucially, it provides a rigorous framework to ensure experiments are detectable, controlled, and policy-relevant before scaling.

Environmental Meteorology and Climate Manipulation: Solving Climate-Geoengineering Technology Problems - Book

Elsevier published a book that presented a structured examination of climate geoengineering as deliberate large-scale intervention in Earth’s atmospheric and climatic systems. It explores key approaches such as solar radiation management, carbon dioxide removal, and stratospheric aerosol injection, assessing their potential to address warming and temperature overshoot. The volume integrates scientific foundations with emerging technological pathways while critically addressing uncertainties, risks, and governance challenges associated with intentional climate modification.

Frontier Climate Technologies Short Course 2026 on AI, CDR & SRM in Africa

Emerging Climate Frontiers announced the Frontier Climate Technologies Short Course 2026, to be hosted at the University of Health and Allied Sciences, University of Energy and Natural Resources, and University of Cape Coast. The program will bring together students, researchers, and professionals to explore Artificial Intelligence for climate applications, Carbon Dioxide Removal, and Solar Radiation Management, along with their implications for Africa’s climate future.

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For a full recap of last month’s updates, check out our weekly summaries: WEEK 1 | WEEK 2 | WEEK 3 | WEEK 4
And here’s an overview:

RESEARCH PAPERS & THESES

Why oppose solar geoengineering? Mapping and comparing underlying rationales across actor groups | Authors: Heleen M. Bruggink, Aarti Gupta, Rakhyun E. Kim & Frank Biermann

Analysis shows opposition to solar geoengineering is growing, driven by environmental, governance, legal, and ethical concerns, fostering a global “non-use” discourse shaping research and deployment debates.

Sun-synchronous Solar Reflector Orbits designed for Illumination from Space | Authors: FJT Salazar, AFB of Almeida Prado, RV de Moraes

Orbital analysis shows space mirrors can achieve Sun-synchronous orbits to reflect sunlight, with polar orbits feasible at low altitudes and in-plane configurations requiring medium-altitude orbits.

Asian Precipitation Changes in the Past Millennium: Projection of Volcanic Forcing Onto Internal Mode | Authors: Wenmin Man, Bo Wu, Tianjun Zhou, et al.

Millennium-scale analysis shows Asian summer monsoon variability is driven mainly by the IPO, with volcanic forcing producing similar patterns, highlighting implications for SAI impacts on regional precipitation.

Education Increases Solar Radiation Modification Literacy but Reinforces Caution: Evidence from a Pre–Post University Study | Authors: Pengyao Gao, Amanda Sie, Lili Xia and Chaochao Gao

Classroom instruction on SRM increased student knowledge, maintained moderate support for research, but reduced support for SAI deployment, shifting focus toward low-carbon development, this study finds.

Geoengineering and Animal Ethics: The Case of Stratospheric Aerosol Injection | Authors: Leonie N. Bossert & Clare Palmer

This study highlights ethical concerns of SAI for wild animals, emphasizing welfare, justice, and the lack of empirical evidence in moral evaluations of SRM impacts.

Impact of stratospheric aerosol geoengineering on sea surface temperature in the angolan upwelling system | Authors: L.G. Mekonou-Tamko, C.Y. Da-Allada, et al.

This study shows SAG lowers Angolan Upwelling SST by ~0.35°C under high emissions, countering warming through enhanced mixing and reduced solar radiation, with winds and coastal waves also influencing changes.

Effect of regional marine cloud brightening on land climate | Authors: Long Cao, Yu Fang and Jiu Jiang

CESM simulations show MCB can stabilize temperatures, reduce drought, and boost productivity, but abrupt termination triggers rapid warming, posing major ecological and governance risks.

Sensitivity of projected Afro-Asian monsoon precipitation to solar radiation management | Authors: Tolulope E. Adeliyi, Akintomide A. Akinsanola

GeoMIP simulations show SRM reduces heavy and extreme rainfall while increasing consecutive wet days, altering monsoon timing, and generally lowering population exposure, though some regions still face heightened risks.

Impact of solar radiation management in anomalous atmosphere in Indonesia Case Study: The extreme rainfall of surigae tropical cyclone in papua province, indonesia | Authors: Hendri, Ahmad Faqih, Sorja Koesuma, et al.

SRM simulations suggest reduced tropical cyclone rainfall in eastern Indonesia, but GeoMIP simplifications may underestimate precipitation impacts.

Spatiotemporal characteristics of aerosols and low clouds from MODIS and their implications for marine cloud brightening | Authors: Liya Niu, Chuanfeng Zhao, et al.

MODIS-based analysis shows Marine Cloud Brightening potential is highly regionally variable, with uncertain and sometimes decoupled cloud responses, requiring dynamic sensitivity-based assessment.

Stakeholder and Expert Opinion of Solar Radiation Modification in South Asia: Insights into Perceptions, Geopolitical, and Governance Concerns in Bangladesh | Authors: Md. Sadique Rahman, Fatema Sarker, et al.

Stakeholder analysis shows mixed views on SRM in Bangladesh, balancing potential benefits with risks, while emphasizing adaptation, further research, and the need for globally coordinated governance.

Spatiotemporal characteristics of aerosols and low clouds from MODIS and their implications for marine cloud brightening | Authors: Liya Niu, Chuanfeng Zhao, et al.

Satellite analysis shows Marine Cloud Brightening potential is highly region-dependent and variable, requiring dynamic, system-level evaluation rather than static assessments.

Strong light absorption by sp2 hybridized carbon impurities in diamond dust | Authors: Joshin Kumar, Gwan-Yeong Jung, Taveen S. Kapoor, et al.

Simulation shows impurities in diamond dust aerosols can reduce reflectivity and even cause warming, challenging their viability for stratospheric aerosol injection.

Expertise at the Limits of Quantified Risk: Social Constructions of Ignorance in the Scientific Controversy on Solar Geoengineering | Authors: Johan Daniel Andersson, Anders Hansson, Mathias Fridahl

Analysis shows trust in solar geoengineering expertise rests on clarifying “unknown unknowns,” turning deep uncertainty into transparent, actionable knowledge rather than precise risk estimates.

Climate Intervention and Mitigation: Strategic Responses to Technological Advances in Solar Geoengineering | Authors: Todd L. Cherry, Stephan Kroll & David M. McEvoy

Experiments show solar geoengineering can boost cooperation but reduce mitigation as effectiveness rises, with unequal responses across groups based on perceived benefits and vulnerability.

Vital Ice: Controversies over Glacier Geoengineering in Chile | Authors: Cristián Simonetti and Fernando Purcell

This article shows geoengineering proposals in Chile treat glaciers as movable assets, clashing with scientific views of them as complex, place-bound systems and raising legal and political concerns.

Evaluating simulations of ship tracks in a km-scale model | Authors: Anna Tippett, Paul R. Field, and Edward Gryspeerdt

Analysis of ship tracks shows models often overestimate MCB effects, misrepresent cloud evolution and drizzle suppression, leading to exaggerated cooling estimates.

A multiplicity of tomorrows from ‘giving the world cancer’ to ‘colonizing space’: Imagining 299 climate intervention futures from a foresight exercise across 44 focus groups | Authors: Benjamin K. Sovacool, Livia Fritz, Chad M. Baum, et al.

Global focus groups reveal mixed public perceptions of climate interventions, balancing optimism about innovation with concerns over risks and inequality, underscoring the need for inclusive policymaking.

A Climate Intervention Dynamical Emulator (CIDER) for scenario space exploration | Authors: Jared Farley, Douglas G. MacMartin, Daniele Visioni, et al.

Researchers developed a fast climate emulator (CIDER) that enables rapid exploration of diverse SAI scenarios, capturing key climate responses at a fraction of the cost of full models.

Sensitivity of Marine Cloud Brightening over the Great Barrier Reef to Spatial Variability in Aerosol Forcing: A Case Study using convection-permitting model - Preprint | Authors: Wenhui Zhao, Yi Huang, Steven Siems, and Daniel Harrison

High-resolution simulations show MCB can enhance cloud reflectivity over the Great Barrier Reef mainly via the Twomey effect, with effectiveness highly sensitive to emission design and conditions.

Defining Scales of Field Studies and Experiments to Assess Marine Cloud Brightening | Authors: Sarah J. Doherty, Michael S. Diamond, Robert Wood, Haruki Hirasawa

Researchers propose a structured framework for SRM field experiments, linking scale, goals, and detectability metrics to support informed research and governance despite limited knowledge of impacts.

A Stratospheric Hose for Solar Radiation Management - Preprint | Authors: Roderick Hyde

Analysis shows a balloon-supported high-altitude hose could enable continuous, low-cost SAI delivery (~100 kt/yr per system), with scalable networks potentially offsetting warming despite engineering challenges.

Climate Intervention through Stratospheric Aerosol Injection may partially mitigate marine heatwaves - Preprint | Authors: Lala Kounta, Lifeng Luo, Gouri Anil, Daniel M. Hueholt, et al.

Simulations show SAI could reduce marine heatwave intensity and duration across much of the ocean, but significant regional hotspots would still experience worsening conditions.

Is the Global South still absent from the SRM governance arena? A wake-up call in 2026 - Preprint | Authors: Yvette Ramos, Luisa Schmidt, Filipe Duarte Santos

This study shows SRM governance is fragmented and Global North–dominated, risking SDG outcomes, and calls for more inclusive, transparent, and equitable international frameworks.

SAI and L1 Space Sunshading Mass Requirements for Climate Mitigation: Fictitious Aerosol Disk Validation of SAI and Sunshade Formula Corrections - Preprint | Authors: Alec Feinberg

Analysis shows corrected estimates drastically reduce L1 sunshade mass requirements, but SAI remains far less material-intensive (~1,000 t SO₂/yr), highlighting mass as a key constraint across geoengineering approaches.

Solar Geoengineering Potential in Flood Assuagement in Four East African Cities - Preprint | Authors: Herbert O. Misiani, Betty N. Barasa, et al.

Simulations show SAI could reduce flood depth and extent in parts of East African cities, lowering exposure, though uncertainties remain due to rainfall modeling and framework limitations.

Exploring divergent long-term stratospheric aerosol injection scenarios with the G2-SAI and ARISE-hybrid experiments - Preprint | Authors: Walker Raymond Lee, Simone Tilmes, and Ewa M. Bednarz

This study shows that different SAI injection strategies can achieve similar global temperatures but drive divergent Earth system responses, including AMOC changes, underscoring the importance of long-term simulations and experiment design.

Mitigating Non-stationarity in Machine Learning-Based Downscaling of Climate Projections - Preprint | Authors: Yue Wang, Daniele Visioni, Ben Kravitz, Douglas G MacMartin, Dhruv Balwada

This study shows that standard ML downscaling fails under warming and SRM conditions, but residual learning with pixel-wise detrending reduces errors (RMSE <0.27 °C), enabling faster, high-resolution downscaling of GeoMIP (G6sulfur) simulations.

WEB POSTS

Solar Geoengineering Updates - Monthly Solar Geoengineering Updates (February’2026)

Planetary Sunshade Foundation - Space Reflector Baseline Survey - Boulder Workshop

Inside Climate News - A New Generation of Climate Scientists Warm Up to Solar Geoengineering

Forbes - Declining Aerosol Pollution Linked To Increased Solar Radiation, Study Finds

Iowa Capital Dispatch - House passes bills to ban cloud seeding and to enhance animal torture penalties

Grist - The US barely bothers to track geoengineering. What could go wrong?

Heinrich Böll Stiftung - Who Funds and Who Pays: The funding of solar geoengineering, 2020–2025

X - The Dose Makes the Poison

Inevitable & Obvious - The Generosity of Spirit - The type of leadership that climate stabilization will depend on

Clean Energy Wire - Foundation calls for rules to prohibit solar radiation management as global investments rise

University of Birmingham - Why cutting emissions still matters more than ever

CSEi - CSEi Announces Latest Research Awards

LinkedIn - Learning from one-another to govern research into the unknown: reflections ahead of the Co-CREATE Forum

NRDC - Ignorance Is Not an Option: Why NRDC Is Engaging on Solar Geoengineering

LinkedIn - Protecting American Weather Sovereignty - Strategies for a Safe and Secure Atmosphere for America

E&E News by Politico - US should lead on planet-cooling technology for national security, report says

Havasu News - Hobbs vetoes Arizona bills on solar geoengineering, DPS funding and petition circulators

Office of the Dean for Research - Six research projects receive Sustainability of Our Planet funding

SRM360 - Iceland and the AMOC: When Existence Is at Stake

LinkedIn - How should we think about SRM in relation to the possibility of AMOC collapse?

DSG - When Governance Lags: What Other Technologies Reveal About SRM

Liberation - How a start-up wants to cool the planet by spraying particles into the atmosphere

TXCCRI - Clearing the Air: An Analysis of Weather Modification, Old and New

Legal Planet - Policy Implications of Accelerating Warming

AMS Headlines - NCAR Stories: A Shared Hub of Science Under Threat

Co-Create - Collective learning to govern research into the unknown: reflections ahead of the Co-CREATE Forum on SRM Research Governance

GAO - Science & Tech Spotlight: Solar Geoengineering

WashU - Diamonds are not a geoengineer’s best friend

DSG - The Space to Think is Not a Luxury

Legal Planet - Earth is Getting Darker. Here’s Why That’s Alarming

Operaatio Arktis - Tipping points threaten societies

Tifi Global - Hydrological warfare? A declassified document accused the CIA of Weather Control, Poisoned Skies Sparking Fresh ‘Chemtrails’ Debate

SRM360 - Different Takes: Could SRM Be Weaponised?

nrc - Science is being very cautious, but the private company Stardust is already making serious plans to dim the sun

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REPORTS

DSG - DSG 2025 Impact Report

ACCF - The National Security Case for U.S. Leadership In SRM Technology

Reflective - Reflective 2025 Annual Report

EGU26 SRM PAPERS

EGU26: Session CL3.1.5 - Advances in Understanding Solar Radiation Modification Technologies and their Impact on the Earth System

Research Papers

Surface temperature dependence of stratospheric sulfate aerosol clear-sky forcing and feedback

Inadvertent Tropical Rainfall Responses to Stratospheric Aerosol Injection: Disentangling Aerosol-Radiation-Precipitation Coupling in Convection-Resolving and Global Simulations

Impact of SAI on tropical cyclones in a high-resolution simulation

Does Solar Geoengineering Delay Amazon Dieback?

Chemical and climatic impacts of stratospheric aerosol injections: can aerosols with smaller infrared absorptivity reduce undesired side-effects?

De-risking cirrus management

Trajectories of Atmospheric Rivers in the Southern Hemisphere under CMIP6 and Solar Radiation Modification

From Qualitative to Quantitative: A Systematic Framework for Measuring SAI Efficacy

Beyond best-case SRM: Scenarios for a messy reality

A framework for understanding and narrowing modeling uncertainties for Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI)

Understanding the role of mean state biases in the stratospheric response to SAI

The Impact of Aerosol Size on the Efficacy of Marine Cloud Brightening

AI for Safe Climate Cooling: Deep Learning and XAI for Rapid SRM Risk Assessment

Water isotopologues as tracers of mixed-phase cloud processes at the Pi Chamber laboratory

Influence of Stratospheric Aerosol Geoengineering on Chlorophyll Concentration in the Congolese Upwelling System

Quantifying and understanding uncertainties in regional impacts of solar geoengineering

Impact of SAI on extra-tropical cyclones in a high-resolution simulation

Investigating the zero transmission problem in satellite solar occultation measurements in the context of possible stratospheric aerosol injections

Not All 1.5°C Worlds Are Equal: Mitigation versus Solar Radiation Modification

Effect of Solar Radiation Modification on Freezing Level Heights across the world

Legacy of stratospheric aerosol injection for limiting global warming

Session AS3.7: Clouds, Aerosols, Radiation and Precipitation

Research Papers

The optimal size distribution of seeding aerosol for marine cloud brightening: insights from emulating a Lagrangian cloud model

Observed feasibility of fine and coarse aerosol-driven marine cloud brightening across different cloud regimes

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JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Postdoctoral Position in Aerosol-Cloud Interactions and Marine Cloud Brightening

Prof. Hongwei Sun at the University of Hawaii at Manoa is seeking a postdoctoral researcher to conduct innovative research on Small-Scale Aerosol-Cloud Interactions within Marine Boundary Layer.

The successful candidate will conduct innovative research on using high-resolution models (e.g., SAM, WRF-Chem) and observational data to advance the process-level understanding of aerosol-cloud interactions (ACIs) within the marine boundary layer. Key research questions include how the background environment (e.g., global warming factors [Sun et al., 2026]) and aerosol type (e.g., sulfate aerosols from the Big Island volcanic eruptions) influence ACIs. Improved process-level understanding of ACIs could help optimize their parameterizations in global climate models (GCMs). The candidate may also contribute to exploring innovative injection strategies for marine cloud brightening (MCB), considering cloud microphysics and cloud radiative efficacy. The candidate will have the opportunity to collaborate with multiple research teams at the University of Washington, Washington University in St. Louis, and the University of Chicago.

Research Assistant or Associate in Atmospheric Simulation of Solar Radiation Modification at Imperial College London | South Kensington

“With global temperatures projected to exceed 2C above preindustrial and carbon emissions still growing, there is increasing concern that solar radiation modification (SRM) may be deployed to counteract harmful effects of climate change. However the impacts of SRM on (eg) monsoons, extreme weather, and air quality are poorly understood. We seek to develop and apply atmospheric models (e.g. GCMs and CTMs) to better understand the potential risks of such measures.”

Research Fellow, Weather and Atmospheric Interventions at Foundation for American Innovation

“Reporting to the Director of Science Policy, this person will be responsible for producing original research and commentary, developing policy events and convenings, and supporting FAI’s science policy team, with an emphasis on work around atmospheric science, weather data infrastructure, weather modification, and climate intervention governance. This full-time position is based in Washington, DC.”

Student Internship: Open Science for Reflective’s SAI Uncertainty Database at Reflective | San Francisco, CA

“Reflective is a climate research nonproft with the mission to equip the world with the data and tools needed to make informed decisions about sunlight reflection technologies, fast enough to matter.”

Research Laboratory Technician at Centre for Climate Repair | University of Cambridge

“Centre for Climate Repair is looking to appoint a skilled technician to provide highly specialist technical support to enable the effective operation of the Centre for Climate Repair’s Marine Cloud Brightening and Stratospheric Aerosol Injection laboratories based at the Department of Engineering’s site in Central Cambridge.”

Senior Manager, Climate Tech and Innovation at FAS | Washington, DC

“The Federation of American Scientists is seeking a Senior Manager, Climate Tech and Innovation. In this role, you will play an integral role in guiding and growing FAS’ emerging program on Climate Tech and Innovation. This program focuses on building support for cutting-edge research in overlooked areas, while harnessing market and economic forces to scale high-impact environmental and climate solutions. A major initial focus of this role will be building support for responsible research into climate interventions and promoting productive, science-based dialogues around climate interventions among policymakers and in the public discourse.”

Postdoctoral Scholar – Climate Systems Engineering, Optimization, and Climate Modeling at The University of Chicago

“Professor Dorian Abbot of the University of Chicago and Assistant Professor Ashesh Chattopadhyay of the University of California, Santa Cruz invite applications for a postdoctoral position at the intersection of climate systems engineering, optimization, and AI weather and climate modeling. This position will focus on developing next-generation methodologies for the design, analysis, and optimization of climate interventions and Earth system processes using state-of-the-art machine learning, dynamical systems theory, and data-driven modeling approaches.”

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UPCOMING EVENTS

21 April | San Francisco, California - Stabilize Earth by Devonian Systems

03-08 May | Vienna, Austria & Online - EGU26

13-15 May | University of Nottingham - IAA Planetary Sunshade Workshop by Planetary Sunshade Foundation

18 May | University of Chicago - Frontiers in Climate Systems Engineering by CSEi

28 – 29 May | Belgium - International Forum on Solar Radiation Modification Research Governance by Co-Create

02-04 June | Rwanda - The IAF Global Space Conference on Climate Change 2026 - Uniting Space and Earth for Climate Resilience

20-21 June | United States - Bridging the Knowledge Gaps in Climate Engineering with Experiments, Models, and Observations by Gordon Research Seminar

21-26 June 2026 | United States - Gordon Research Conference - Bridging Observations, Models, and Impacts in Solar Radiation Modification Research

Solar Geoengineering Events Calendar

PODCASTS

As interest in geoengineering grows, lack of oversight poses risks | Here & Now Newsroom

“A new report warns of a concerning lack of oversight into geoengineering, or weather manipulation.

Here & Now’s Peter O’Dowd speaks with Grist’s climate news reporting fellow Rebecca Egan McCarthy about the spread of geoengineering and how it can be used to fight climate change.”

What We Don’t Know About Cooling the Planet — Dakota Gruener, CEO of Reflective | Inevitable & Obvious

“Stratospheric aerosol injection might be one of the only interventions that could reduce global warming on the timescales that actually matter, but we don’t yet know enough to say if it’s completely worth the potential tradeoffs, and we’re not on track to find out in time. Dakota Gruener is the founder and CEO of Reflective, an independent nonprofit trying to change that by radically accelerating the research. In this conversation, we talk about what it would take to actually evaluate SAI:

-The tools Reflective has built to map the unknowns

-The case for something like clinical trials for the atmosphere

-Why Dakota thinks the worst outcome isn’t deployment but decisions being forced before the science is ready.”

Why Money is Flowing into Geoengineering | Bloomberg Primer

“Is geoengineering a dangerous notion whose time has come? Scientists and entrepreneurs are testing radical ideas like solar radiation management and ocean fertilisation - and finding funding for it.”

“Are You Going To Stop Me Cooling The Earth?” — Luke Iseman, Founder of Make Sunsets | Inevitable & Obvious

“Luke Iseman is putting sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere with high-altitude balloons and selling cooling credits to pay for it. And he doesn’t care if you approve.

Make Sunsets is maybe the most polarizing company in climate interventions right now, and I wanted to have Luke on the show so we could learn more about how they think and what their goals are. We discussed the question that if we assuming cooling the planet is necessary (and we both believe it is), does that justify acting without institutional permission? We get into the energy math on carbon removal, the governance question, and a wealthy customer who may be planning to personally fund enough deployment to measurably cool the planet.”

Should we block some sunlight to cool the planet? A conversation with Dakota Gruener of Reflective | Volts

“In this episode, Dakota Gruener of Reflective walks me through her organization’s new project, which maps the gaps in our scientific understanding of stratospheric aerosol injection — currently the leading candidate for directly cooling the planet. We get into what we don’t know (including a factor-of-two disagreement on basic aerosol physics), who’s already doing this without oversight, and the unsettling governance question of who controls the Earth’s thermostat once humanity has grabbed it.”

The Most Dangerous Technology in the World? - Wim Carton | Urgent Futures with Jesse Damiani

“Geoengineering might sound nice in theory, but the consequences could be disastrous. Today’s guest, Wim Carton, co-wrote The Long Heat with Andreas Malm, which helps paint the full picture.”

YOUTUBE VIDEOS

CSEi Seminar Featuring Holly Jean Buck (University of Buffalo) | UChicago Climate Systems Engineering initiative

“Title: The fantasy of “social tipping points” — and what it can teach us about incorporating social feedbacks into climate response strategies

This talk reviews these nascent frameworks and identifies limitations in how modelers approach the incorporation of social factors into solar geoengineering research, assessment, and governance. It connects these efforts to broader questions about how social dynamics are represented in mitigation science, discourse and policy. The talk then outlines an alternative approach to incorporating social dynamics into responding to climate change — one grounded in qualitative research and civic engagement.”

Geoengineering: Catalyst or Threat? | Arctic Circle

“PANELISTS

Dalee Sambo Dorough, Senior Scholar, University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA), USA

Shaun Fitzgerald, Director, Centre for Climate Repair, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom

Mark Symes, Programme Director, ARIA - Advanced Research and Invention Agency, United Kingdom”

Geoengineering: from controversy to conflict | Open University

“Geoengineering, a term encompassing a set of climate modification techniques to combat global warming, is increasingly present in scientific, media, and diplomatic circles. Its gradual development raises major controversies, particularly concerning the risks and justice issues raised by these techniques. Simultaneously, the lack of clear international regulation and the growing power of state and private actors fuel geopolitical tensions. Internationally, the controversial nature of geoengineering can thus become a real factor in international rivalries and conflicts. Marine de Guglielmo Weber, a researcher at IRSEM, will analyze these controversies and their security implications for the global climate regime. The Open University lecture and debate series, organized by CY Cergy Paris University, invites lecturers who are either faculty members at CY or researchers from outside the university.”

CIDER: A Climate Intervention Dynamical Emulator | Remove and Reflect Podcast

“This episode discusses the Climate Intervention Dynamical Emulator (CIDER) which is a high-speed computational tool designed to predict regional and global climate responses to Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI). While traditional Earth System Models (ESMs) are too expensive for broad scenario exploration, CIDER can rapidly simulate variables like temperature, precipitation, and sea ice at a negligible cost. The emulator is trained on existing climate data to capture how injecting sulfur dioxide at different latitudes impacts the planet over time. It is specifically capable of modeling uncoordinated deployment scenarios, where multiple independent actors might begin or terminate cooling efforts with different regional goals. Although it does not replace the complexity of full ESMs, it provides a vital platform for policy communication, education, and rapid scenario testing. Consequently, CIDER allows researchers to identify promising climate intervention strategies before committing to more intensive atmospheric simulations.”

Could Shading the Earth Stop Climate Change? | The Geoengineering Debate Explained | YitWorks

“If the world is getting too hot, why not just give it some shade? In this video, we explore the radical and highly controversial science of solar geoengineering—a proposed technological solution to global warming that aims to rapidly halt rising temperatures by reflecting the sun’s rays back into space.

Is this the emergency backup plan we need to save millions of lives, or is it a dangerous distraction that could trigger global conflict and catastrophic side effects?”

Into the Heart of the Doomsday Glacier | The Explorers Club

“On 13 March, the Explorers Club welcomes Professor David Holland, the leading polar scientist whose recent expedition aboard the Korean icebreaker RV Araon pushed into the remote waters where warm ocean currents are destabilizing the glacier from below.

Holland will share new insights from this high‑risk, high‑reward mission: navigating shifting sea ice, deploying ocean instruments in brutal conditions, and collaborating with an international team racing to understand the future of global sea‑level rise.

Expect gripping field stories, cutting‑edge science, and a clear-eyed look at the glacier often called the “Doomsday Glacier”—a place whose fate may shape coastlines for generations.

This is a night for explorers, scientists, and anyone who wants to understand the front lines of our changing planet.”

A Shadow at the End of the Tunnel | Catello Leonardo Matonti | TEDx Talks

“Catello Leonardo Matonti shares his fascinating project: a planetary sunshade designed to protect Earth from the most extreme effects of climate change. A space engineer and entrepreneur, he co-founded ASTRO Srl, a startup focused on innovative tethered satellite systems for Earth observation and maritime surveillance in the Mediterranean. As a researcher, he studies the mitigation of anthropogenic climate change from space. After graduating cum laude and winning international awards such as the Telespazio Technology Contest, he develops solar sail swarms and space solutions aligned with SDG 13 – Climate Action. Passionate about connecting humans and the environment, he transforms scientific visions into concrete projects with global impact.”

Sunscreen for the planet by Daniele Visioni & Dakota Gruener | Works in Progress

“The world is warming faster than we can cut emissions. Volcanoes are already cooling the planet, with particles that reflect sunlight. Maybe we can too.”

“The Last Resort: Could Geoengineering Save the AMOC from Collapse?” – Dr. Claudia Wieners | Nick Breeze ClimateGenn

“In this episode, Nick Breeze speaks with Dr. Claudia Wieners, climate scientist at the University of Utrecht, to explore one of the most urgent and controversial questions in climate science: could Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI) be used to prevent the collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC)?”

Co-CREATE Seminar - Funding SRM Research Responsibly: From Principles to Practice and Back | Climate Strategies

Could Solar Geoengineering Help Prevent AMOC Collapse? | SRM360

“An expert panel featuring Laurie Laybourn, David Thornalley, and John Moore discuss:

– What is the AMOC and why is it important?

– Could climate change cause the AMOC to collapse and what would the consequences be?

– Could solar geoengineering help to stabilise the AMOC, and what risks could it bring?”

Global Tipping Points in Oceanic and Atmospheric Circulations — Can SRM Back Us Off from the Brink? | Paul Beckwith

“Continued anthropogenic pressures on the Earth system hold the potential to disrupt established circulation patterns in the ocean and atmosphere.

In this narrative review, we investigate tipping points in these systems by assessing scientific evidence for feedbacks that may drive self-sustained change beyond critical forcing thresholds, drawing on insights from expert elicitation. The literature provides multiple strands of evidence for oceanic tipping points in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), the North Atlantic subpolar gyre (SPG), and the Antarctic Overturning Circulation, which may collapse under warmer and “fresher” (i.e. less salty) conditions.”

“The Unknowability of Solar Geoengineering and Why it Matters” by Prof. Daniel P. Schrag | Oxford Climate Research Network

“OCRN is pleased to present our annual lecture for 2026 featuring Prof. Daniel P. Schrag from Harvard University speaking on “The Unknowability of Solar Geoengineering and Why it Matters.”

Racing Towards Hothouse Earth | Climate Emergency Forum

“In this episode we unpack the latest warnings about a potential Hothouse Earth trajectory. They explain what this term actually means, why it would be unsurvivable for human civilization, and how multiple amplifying feedbacks and tipping points are pushing us toward dangerous new territory.”

The conversation digs into new research, including updated timelines showing how quickly we may reach 2 °C and beyond, the accelerating loss of Arctic sea ice, weakening carbon sinks, and the growing risk from permafrost thaw and ocean heat buildup. Peter and Paul also explore the difference between probability and risk, and why current scenarios amount to what they call a “global suicide” pathway if left unchanged.

Finally, the panel discusses what it would actually take to avoid a Hothouse Earth outcome, arguing that deep emissions cuts alone are no longer enough. They outline a three‑part response: rapid fossil fuel phase‑out, large‑scale carbon removal, and carefully governed planetary cooling measures to buy time and prevent crossing irreversible tipping points.”

We Just Lost Earth’s “Parasol” – And Warming Is About to Accelerate | Just Have a Think

“The three warmest years on record are 2023, 2024 and 2025. It’s starting to look a bit like a trend, and not in the direction we want. Now a team of financial risk managers has crunched the data and published their findings on what’s likely to be causing the uplift. It’s not great news!”

Anthropocene Problem: Can Humans combat climate change by being more direct in nature? | Ah17

“This presentation examines how human activity in the Anthropocene has disrupted Earth’s climate through greenhouse gas emissions and environmental change. It explains the growing climate crisis and introduces solar geoengineering, particularly Solar Radiation Management (SRM), as a proposed method to reflect sunlight and temporarily cool the planet. The presentation evaluates both the potential benefits and risks of these technologies, including environmental, health, and ethical concerns, and discusses real-world examples of atmospheric modification such as volcanic cooling and cloud seeding. It ultimately asks whether humanity should attempt to deliberately control the climate or focus on reducing the emissions that caused the problem.”

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1. This Week’s Top SRM Highlights

2. Research Papers

3. EGU26 SRM Papers

4. Web Posts

5. Reports

6. Upcoming Events

7. Podcasts

8. YouTube Videos

Donate < $10

Get 20% off a group subscription

Follow us on:

Twitter | Bluesky | LinkedIn | Google Group | Podcast

Expertise at the Limits of Quantified Risk: Social Constructions of Ignorance in the Scientific Controversy on Solar Geoengineering

Authors: Johan Daniel Andersson, Anders Hansson, Mathias Fridahl

Synopsis: This paper explores how trust in scientific expertise is justified in the context of Solar Geoengineering, where risks are deeply uncertain and hard to quantify. It argues that, rather than relying on precise risk assessment, experts build trust by identifying and clarizing “unknown unknowns.” By turning them into “known unknowns,” scientists provide a more transparent and credible basis for navigating uncertainty in climate intervention decisions.

Climate Intervention and Mitigation: Strategic Responses to Technological Advances in Solar Geoengineering

Authors: Todd L. Cherry, Stephan Kroll & David M. McEvoy

Synopsis: This study investigates how solar geoengineering (SG) influences climate mitigation behavior using a social dilemma experiment. While SG can encourage overall cooperation, the findings show that as it becomes more effective and certain, mitigation efforts decline. Individuals who benefit most from SGE reduce mitigation, whereas those more vulnerable increase their efforts, revealing complex, uneven behavioral responses to SG deployment.

Vital Ice: Controversies over Glacier Geoengineering in Chile

Authors: Cristián Simonetti and Fernando Purcell

Synopsis: This article examines evolving views of glaciers in Chile amid geoengineering proposals to mitigate mining and climate impacts. It highlights controversial efforts, such as relocating massive ice volumes, and traces similar past proposals that sparked legal and political responses. The study argues these initiatives rely on viewing glaciers as movable, inert objects, contrasting with scientific perspectives that see them as complex, irreversible ecosystems tied to their environment.

Evaluating simulations of ship tracks in a km-scale model

Authors: Anna Tippett, Paul R. Field, and Edward Gryspeerdt

Synopsis: This study examines uncertainties in simulating Marine Cloud Brightening by analyzing ship tracks as real-world analogues. While models can reproduce average cloud properties, they struggle to capture how cloud adjustments evolve over time, especially in precipitating clouds. The results show models often overestimate aerosol effects, suppress drizzle too strongly, and exaggerate cooling. These findings highlight key limitations in current climate models for accurately predicting MCB outcomes.

A multiplicity of tomorrows from ‘giving the world cancer’ to ‘colonizing space’: Imagining 299 climate intervention futures from a foresight exercise across 44 focus groups

Authors: Benjamin K. Sovacool, Livia Fritz, Chad M. Baum, Ramit Debnath, Roberto Cantoni, Francesc Martori

Synopsis: This study explores global public perceptions of climate interventions through a foresight exercise involving 44 focus groups across 22 countries. Participants imagined 299 future scenarios for 2030 involving technologies like solar radiation modification and carbon removal. The results reveal diverse outlooksf, rom optimism about innovation to concerns over ecological harm and inequality, highlighting how cultural, geopolitical, and technological factors shape expectations and the need for inclusive climate policymaking.

Sensitivity of Marine Cloud Brightening over the Great Barrier Reef to Spatial Variability in Aerosol Forcing: A Case Study using convection-permitting model - Preprint

Authors: Wenhui Zhao, Yi Huang, Steven Siems, and Daniel Harrison

Synopsis: This study evaluates Marine Cloud Brightening over the Great Barrier Reef using high-resolution simulations. Results show aerosol emissions significantly increase cloud droplet numbers and reflectivity, mainly via the Twomey Effect, while other cloud properties change little. Effectiveness depends strongly on emission spacing and atmospheric conditions, highlighting key design factors for reducing coral bleaching risks.

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Session AS3.7: Clouds, Aerosols, Radiation and Precipitation

The optimal size distribution of seeding aerosol for marine cloud brightening: insights from emulating a Lagrangian cloud model

Observed feasibility of fine and coarse aerosol-driven marine cloud brightening across different cloud regimes

Office of the Dean for Research - Six research projects receive Sustainability of Our Planet funding

SRM360 - Iceland and the AMOC: When Existence Is at Stake

LinkedIn - How should we think about SRM in relation to the possibility of AMOC collapse?

DSG - When Governance Lags: What Other Technologies Reveal About SRM

Liberation - How a start-up wants to cool the planet by spraying particles into the atmosphere

TXCCRI - Clearing the Air: An Analysis of Weather Modification, Old and New

Legal Planet - Policy Implications of Accelerating Warming

AMS Headlines - NCAR Stories: A Shared Hub of Science Under Threat

Co-Create - Collective learning to govern research into the unknown: reflections ahead of the Co-CREATE Forum on SRM Research Governance

GAO - Science & Tech Spotlight: Solar Geoengineering

Share Solar Geoengineering Updates

Reflective - Reflective 2025 Annual Report

Subscribe now

31 March | Cambridge, US - Is Politically Feasible and Morally Responsible Geoengineering Possible? by Harvard University

01 April | Hamburg - Two ideas on how aerosols influence high-latitude climate: direct and indirect effects by Max-Planck Institute (NEW)

21 April | San Francisco, California - Stabilize Earth by Devonian Systems

03-08 May | Vienna, Austria & Online - EGU26

13-15 May | University of Nottingham - IAA Planetary Sunshade Workshop by Planetary Sunshade Foundation

18 May | University of Chicago - Frontiers in Climate Systems Engineering by CSEi

28 – 29 May | Belgium - International Forum on Solar Radiation Modification Research Governance by Co-Create

02-04 June | Rwanda - The IAF Global Space Conference on Climate Change 2026 - Uniting Space and Earth for Climate Resilience

20-21 June | United States - Bridging the Knowledge Gaps in Climate Engineering with Experiments, Models, and Observations by Gordon Research Seminar

21-26 June 2026 | United States - Gordon Research Conference - Bridging Observations, Models, and Impacts in Solar Radiation Modification Research

Solar Geoengineering Events Calendar

“Are You Going To Stop Me Cooling The Earth?” — Luke Iseman, Founder of Make Sunsets | Inevitable & Obvious

Inevitable & Obvious

"Are You Going To Stop Me Cooling The Earth?" — Luke Iseman, Founder of Make Sunsets

Luke Iseman is putting sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere with high-altitude balloons and selling cooling credits to pay for it. And he doesn’t care if you approve…

Listen now

2 months ago · 5 likes · 2 comments · Paul Gambill

“Luke Iseman is putting sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere with high-altitude balloons and selling cooling credits to pay for it. And he doesn’t care if you approve.

Make Sunsets is maybe the most polarizing company in climate interventions right now, and I wanted to have Luke on the show so we could learn more about how they think and what their goals are. We discussed the question that if we assuming cooling the planet is necessary (and we both believe it is), does that justify acting without institutional permission? We get into the energy math on carbon removal, the governance question, and a wealthy customer who may be planning to personally fund enough deployment to measurably cool the planet.”

Should we block some sunlight to cool the planet? A conversation with Dakota Gruener of Reflective | Volts

Volts

Should we block some sunlight to cool the planet?

In this episode, Dakota Gruener of Reflective walks me through her organization’s new project, which maps the gaps in our scientific understanding of stratospheric aerosol injection — currently the leading candidate for directly cooling the planet. We get into what we don’t know (including a factor-of-two disagreement on basic aerosol physics), who’s al…

Listen now

2 months ago · 26 likes · 4 comments · David Roberts

“In this episode, Dakota Gruener of Reflective walks me through her organization’s new project, which maps the gaps in our scientific understanding of stratospheric aerosol injection — currently the leading candidate for directly cooling the planet. We get into what we don’t know (including a factor-of-two disagreement on basic aerosol physics), who’s already doing this without oversight, and the unsettling governance question of who controls the Earth’s thermostat once humanity has grabbed it.”

Subscribe now

“The Last Resort: Could Geoengineering Save the AMOC from Collapse?” – Dr. Claudia Wieners | Nick Breeze ClimateGenn

“In this episode, Nick Breeze speaks with Dr. Claudia Wieners, climate scientist at the University of Utrecht, to explore one of the most urgent and controversial questions in climate science: could Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI) be used to prevent the collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC)?”

Co-CREATE Seminar - Funding SRM Research Responsibly: From Principles to Practice and Back | Climate Strategies

Could Solar Geoengineering Help Prevent AMOC Collapse? | SRM360

“An expert panel featuring Laurie Laybourn, David Thornalley, and John Moore will discuss:

– What is the AMOC and why is it important?

– Could climate change cause the AMOC to collapse and what would the consequences be?

– Could solar geoengineering help to stabilise the AMOC, and what risks could it bring?”

Twitter | Bluesky | LinkedIn | Substack | Google Group | Podcast 1 | Podcast 2

Support us here:

While all content on Solar Geoengineering Updates is free for everyone, We urge those who can to become paid subscribers. Your support empowers this important work and helps us spread the message far and wide.

Support This Newsletter

Leave a comment

1. This Week’s Top SRM Highlights

2. Research Papers

3. EGU26 SRM Papers

4. Web Posts

5. Job Opportunities

6. Upcoming Events

7. Podcasts

8. YouTube Videos

Donate < $10

Get 20% off a group subscription

Follow us on:

Twitter | Bluesky | LinkedIn | Google Group | Podcast

Stakeholder and Expert Opinion of Solar Radiation Modification in South Asia: Insights into Perceptions, Geopolitical, and Governance Concerns in Bangladesh

Authors: Md. Sadique Rahman, Fatema Sarker, Muhammad Humayun Kabir, Chad M. Baum, et al.

Synopsis: Bangladesh stakeholders show mixed views on Solar Radiation Management, balancing interest in its potential to reduce heat and boost crops with concerns over risks and uncertainty. Experts favor adaptation and nature-based solutions, while supporting further SRM research. Limited resources and geopolitical influence highlight the need for global cooperation, with national governments expected to lead governance efforts.

Spatiotemporal characteristics of aerosols and low clouds from MODIS and their implications for marine cloud brightening

Authors: Liya Niu, Chuanfeng Zhao, Haotian Zhang, Yongen Liang & Annan Chen

Synopsis: This study shows that Marine Cloud Brightening potential varies significantly across regions, with satellite data showing complex interactions between aerosols and cloud properties. While some areas like the North Pacific show favorable conditions, responses are highly variable and sometimes decoupled. The study stresses that robust MCB assessment must move beyond static analysis toward dynamic, system-level evaluation of cloud responses and climate conditions.

Strong light absorption by sp2 hybridized carbon impurities in diamond dust

Authors: Joshin Kumar, Gwan-Yeong Jung, Taveen S. Kapoor, Rohan Mishra, Rajan K. Chakrabarty

Synopsis: Diamond dust has been proposed for Stratospheric Aerosol Injection due to lower ozone and acid rain risks than sulfur aerosols. However, this study shows that impurities from detonation synthesis increase light absorption, reducing cooling efficiency. Simulations reveal these impurities can significantly lower reflectivity and even shift effects toward warming, raising concerns about diamond dust’s viability for solar geoengineering.

Is the Global South still absent from the SRM governance arena? A wake-up call in 2026 - Preprint

Authors: Yvette Ramos, Luisa Schmidt, Filipe Duarte Santos

Synopsis: Solar Radiation Management governance remains fragmented and dominated by Global North actors, with limited Global South participation despite higher climate vulnerability. This study links SRM governance to sustainable development, highlighting risks to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals if inclusivity is lacking. It calls for transparent, equitable frameworks grounded in justice principles to ensure fair decision-making and stronger international cooperation.

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EGU26: Session CL3.1.5 - Advances in Understanding Solar Radiation Modification Technologies and their Impact on the Earth System

Research Papers

Surface temperature dependence of stratospheric sulfate aerosol clear-sky forcing and feedback

Inadvertent Tropical Rainfall Responses to Stratospheric Aerosol Injection: Disentangling Aerosol-Radiation-Precipitation Coupling in Convection-Resolving and Global Simulations

Impact of SAI on tropical cyclones in a high-resolution simulation

Does Solar Geoengineering Delay Amazon Dieback?

Chemical and climatic impacts of stratospheric aerosol injections: can aerosols with smaller infrared absorptivity reduce undesired side-effects?

De-risking cirrus management

Trajectories of Atmospheric Rivers in the Southern Hemisphere under CMIP6 and Solar Radiation Modification

From Qualitative to Quantitative: A Systematic Framework for Measuring SAI Efficacy

Beyond best-case SRM: Scenarios for a messy reality

A framework for understanding and narrowing modeling uncertainties for Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI)

Understanding the role of mean state biases in the stratospheric response to SAI

The Impact of Aerosol Size on the Efficacy of Marine Cloud Brightening

AI for Safe Climate Cooling: Deep Learning and XAI for Rapid SRM Risk Assessment

Water isotopologues as tracers of mixed-phase cloud processes at the Pi Chamber laboratory

Influence of Stratospheric Aerosol Geoengineering on Chlorophyll Concentration in the Congolese Upwelling System

Quantifying and understanding uncertainties in regional impacts of solar geoengineering

Impact of SAI on extra-tropical cyclones in a high-resolution simulation

Investigating the zero transmission problem in satellite solar occultation measurements in the context of possible stratospheric aerosol injections

Not All 1.5°C Worlds Are Equal: Mitigation versus Solar Radiation Modification

Effect of Solar Radiation Modification on Freezing Level Heights across the world

Legacy of stratospheric aerosol injection for limiting global warming

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WashU - Diamonds are not a geoengineer’s best friend

DSG - The Space to Think is Not a Luxury

Legal Planet - Earth is Getting Darker. Here’s Why That’s Alarming

Operaatio Arktis - Tipping points threaten societies

Tifi Global - Hydrological warfare? A declassified document accused the CIA of Weather Control, Poisoned Skies Sparking Fresh ‘Chemtrails’ Debate

SRM360 - Different Takes: Could SRM Be Weaponised?

nrc - Science is being very cautious, but the private company Stardust is already making serious plans to dim the sun

Research Laboratory Technician at Centre for Climate Repair | University of Cambridge

“Centre for Climate Repair is looking to appoint a skilled technician to provide highly specialist technical support to enable the effective operation of the Centre for Climate Repair’s Marine Cloud Brightening and Stratospheric Aerosol Injection laboratories based at the Department of Engineering’s site in Central Cambridge.”

Senior Manager, Climate Tech and Innovation at FAS | Washington, DC

“The Federation of American Scientists is seeking a Senior Manager, Climate Tech and Innovation. In this role, you will play an integral role in guiding and growing FAS’ emerging program on Climate Tech and Innovation. This program focuses on building support for cutting-edge research in overlooked areas, while harnessing market and economic forces to scale high-impact environmental and climate solutions. A major initial focus of this role will be building support for responsible research into climate interventions and promoting productive, science-based dialogues around climate interventions among policymakers and in the public discourse.”

Postdoctoral Scholar – Climate Systems Engineering, Optimization, and Climate Modeling at The University of Chicago

“Professor Dorian Abbot of the University of Chicago and Assistant Professor Ashesh Chattopadhyay of the University of California, Santa Cruz invite applications for a postdoctoral position at the intersection of climate systems engineering, optimization, and AI weather and climate modeling. This position will focus on developing next-generation methodologies for the design, analysis, and optimization of climate interventions and Earth system processes using state-of-the-art machine learning, dynamical systems theory, and data-driven modeling approaches.”

Share Solar Geoengineering Updates

23 March | Boston - Unilateral Solar Geoengineering: A Scenario by Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies

24 March | Online - Live Discussion: Could Solar Geoengineering Prevent AMOC Collapse? by SRM360

25 March | Online - Deliberately Cooling the Planet. Could we? Should we? Would we? by RMetS

26 March | Online - Who Funds and Who Pays: The funding of solar geoengineering, 2020–2025 by HOME Alliance, the Heinrich Böll Foundation, and Geoengineering Monitor

26 March | George Washington University - Plan C for Civilization, co-presented with the George Washington University and Planet Forward

26 March | Houston, TX - Could stratospheric aerosol geoengineering help address climate change? by University of Chicago at CERAWeek (NEW)

26 March | Houston, TX - Geoengineering the Climate: Promise, peril and policy by University of Chicago at CERAWeek (NEW)

26 March | Washington, US - Engineering our Planet: From Designed Interventions to Interdisciplinary Programs and Participatory Platforms, Part I by CSPO (NEW)

26 March | Online - Climate Intervention: Effects of Stratospheric Aerosol Injection on Southern Hemisphere Extratropical Cyclones (NEW)

27 March | Online - Engineering Our Planet, Part II: Building Platforms for Geoengineering Research and Governance by CSPO (NEW)

31 March | Cambridge, US - Is Politically Feasible and Morally Responsible Geoengineering Possible? by Harvard University (NEW)

21 April | San Francisco, California - Stabilize Earth by Devonian Systems (NEW)

03-08 May | Vienna, Austria & Online - EGU26

13-15 May | University of Nottingham - IAA Planetary Sunshade Workshop by Planetary Sunshade Foundation

18 May | University of Chicago - Frontiers in Climate Systems Engineering by CSEi

28 – 29 May | Belgium - International Forum on Solar Radiation Modification Research Governance by Co-Create

02-04 June | Rwanda - The IAF Global Space Conference on Climate Change 2026 - Uniting Space and Earth for Climate Resilience

20-21 June | United States - Bridging the Knowledge Gaps in Climate Engineering with Experiments, Models, and Observations by Gordon Research Seminar

21-26 June 2026 | United States - Gordon Research Conference - Bridging Observations, Models, and Impacts in Solar Radiation Modification Research

Solar Geoengineering Events Calendar

What We Don’t Know About Cooling the Planet — Dakota Gruener, CEO of Reflective | Inevitable & Obvious

Inevitable & Obvious

What We Don’t Know About Cooling the Planet — Dakota Gruener, CEO of Reflective

Here is the first episode of the Inevitable & Obvious podcast! I’m very excited to publish this interview with Dakota Gruener of Reflective, and I hope you find it valuable and informative. Please leave comments below if you have suggestions for guests, topics, or even formatting of the show…

Listen now

2 months ago · 7 likes · 1 comment · Paul Gambill

“Stratospheric aerosol injection might be one of the only interventions that could reduce global warming on the timescales that actually matter, but we don’t yet know enough to say if it’s completely worth the potential tradeoffs, and we’re not on track to find out in time. Dakota Gruener is the founder and CEO of Reflective, an independent nonprofit trying to change that by radically accelerating the research. In this conversation, we talk about what it would take to actually evaluate SAI:

-The tools Reflective has built to map the unknowns

-The case for something like clinical trials for the atmosphere

-Why Dakota thinks the worst outcome isn’t deployment but decisions being forced before the science is ready.”

Why Money is Flowing into Geoengineering | Bloomberg Primer

“Is geoengineering a dangerous notion whose time has come? Scientists and entrepreneurs are testing radical ideas like solar radiation management and ocean fertilisation - and finding funding for it.”

Subscribe now

CIDER: A Climate Intervention Dynamical Emulator | Remove and Reflect Podcast

“This episode discusses the Climate Intervention Dynamical Emulator (CIDER) which is a high-speed computational tool designed to predict regional and global climate responses to Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI). While traditional Earth System Models (ESMs) are too expensive for broad scenario exploration, CIDER can rapidly simulate variables like temperature, precipitation, and sea ice at a negligible cost. The emulator is trained on existing climate data to capture how injecting sulfur dioxide at different latitudes impacts the planet over time. It is specifically capable of modeling uncoordinated deployment scenarios, where multiple independent actors might begin or terminate cooling efforts with different regional goals. Although it does not replace the complexity of full ESMs, it provides a vital platform for policy communication, education, and rapid scenario testing. Consequently, CIDER allows researchers to identify promising climate intervention strategies before committing to more intensive atmospheric simulations.”

Could Shading the Earth Stop Climate Change? | The Geoengineering Debate Explained | YitWorks

“If the world is getting too hot, why not just give it some shade? In this video, we explore the radical and highly controversial science of solar geoengineering—a proposed technological solution to global warming that aims to rapidly halt rising temperatures by reflecting the sun’s rays back into space.

Is this the emergency backup plan we need to save millions of lives, or is it a dangerous distraction that could trigger global conflict and catastrophic side effects?”

Into the Heart of the Doomsday Glacier | The Explorers Club

“On 13 March, the Explorers Club welcomes Professor David Holland, the leading polar scientist whose recent expedition aboard the Korean icebreaker RV Araon pushed into the remote waters where warm ocean currents are destabilizing the glacier from below.

Holland will share new insights from this high‑risk, high‑reward mission: navigating shifting sea ice, deploying ocean instruments in brutal conditions, and collaborating with an international team racing to understand the future of global sea‑level rise.

Expect gripping field stories, cutting‑edge science, and a clear-eyed look at the glacier often called the “Doomsday Glacier”—a place whose fate may shape coastlines for generations.

This is a night for explorers, scientists, and anyone who wants to understand the front lines of our changing planet.”

A Shadow at the End of the Tunnel | Catello Leonardo Matonti | TEDx Talks

“Catello Leonardo Matonti shares his fascinating project: a planetary sunshade designed to protect Earth from the most extreme effects of climate change. A space engineer and entrepreneur, he co-founded ASTRO Srl, a startup focused on innovative tethered satellite systems for Earth observation and maritime surveillance in the Mediterranean. As a researcher, he studies the mitigation of anthropogenic climate change from space. After graduating cum laude and winning international awards such as the Telespazio Technology Contest, he develops solar sail swarms and space solutions aligned with SDG 13 – Climate Action. Passionate about connecting humans and the environment, he transforms scientific visions into concrete projects with global impact.”

Sunscreen for the planet by Daniele Visioni & Dakota Gruener | Works in Progress

“The world is warming faster than we can cut emissions. Volcanoes are already cooling the planet, with particles that reflect sunlight. Maybe we can too.”

Twitter | Bluesky | LinkedIn | Substack | Google Group | Podcast 1 | Podcast 2

Support us here:

While all content on Solar Geoengineering Updates is free for everyone, We urge those who can to become paid subscribers. Your support empowers this important work and helps us spread the message far and wide.

Support This Newsletter

1. This Week’s Top SRM Highlights

2. Research Papers

3. Web Posts

4. Reports

5. Job Opportunities

6. Call for Input

7. Upcoming Events

8. Podcasts

9. YouTube Videos

Donate < $10

Get 20% off a group subscription

Follow us on:

Twitter | Bluesky | LinkedIn | Google Group | Podcast

Education Increases Solar Radiation Modification Literacy but Reinforces Caution: Evidence from a Pre–Post University Study

‎Authors; Pengyao Gao, Amanda Sie, Lili Xia and Chaochao Gao

Synopsis: This study evaluates how a university classroom module on SRM influenced student perceptions. Using pre–post surveys of 103 students, self-rated SRM knowledge increased significantly after instruction. While support for SRM research remained moderately positive, support for SAI deployment declined, and students shifted toward prioritizing low-carbon development. Results suggest that structured education increases understanding while encouraging more cautious views about SRM deployment, governance, and potential risks.

Geoengineering and Animal Ethics: The Case of Stratospheric Aerosol Injection

Authors: Leonie N. Bossert & Clare Palmer

Synopsis: This study examines the ethical implications of SAI specifically for wild animals, an area largely overlooked in SRM debates. It explores whether SAI could be considered inherently wrong from animal ethics perspectives and identifies key issues for moral evaluation, including limited empirical evidence on impacts, potential effects on animal welfare, and broader justice considerations that include non-human species.

Impact of stratospheric aerosol geoengineering on sea surface temperature in the angolan upwelling system

Authors: L.G. Mekonou-Tamko, C.Y. Da-Allada, F.F.B.K. Ayissi, J.H. Agada, E. Baloitcha, S. Tilmes

Synopsis: This study investigates how stratospheric aerosol geoengineering (SAG) affects sea surface temperatures (SST) in the Angolan Upwelling System under a high-emissions climate scenario. Simulations show global warming raises regional SST by about 1.65°C due to weaker vertical mixing and increased solar radiation. Under SAG, SST instead declines by roughly 0.35°C, mainly from stronger vertical mixing and reduced solar radiation. Remote wind forcing and coastal trapped waves also play a key role in driving SST changes in the region.

Effect of regional marine cloud brightening on land climate

Authors: Long Cao, Yu Fang and Jiu Jiang

Synopsis: This study uses the CESM Earth system model to assess land climate impacts of MCB. Seeding sea salt aerosols over 5% of susceptible ocean areas from 2031 stabilizes global temperatures near 1.5 °C under SSP2-4.5. MCB cools most land regions, reduces drought stress across 55% of land, and increases terrestrial productivity. However, abrupt termination causes rapid warming, up to four times faster than baseline, posing major ecological risks and highlighting governance challenges.

Sensitivity of projected Afro-Asian monsoon precipitation to solar radiation management

Authors: Tolulope E. Adeliyi, Akintomide A. Akinsanola

Synopsis: This study evaluates how SRM, specifically stratospheric aerosol injection (G6Sulfur) and solar dimming (G6Solar), affects Afro-Asian summer monsoon rainfall under the SSP5-8.5 scenario. Using GeoMIP CMIP6 simulations, results show SRM generally reduces heavy precipitation, precipitation variability, and extreme rainfall, while increasing consecutive wet days due to more light-to-moderate rainfall. SRM also alters monsoon timing and season length, and overall lowers population exposure to rainfall extremes, though some regions still face increased wet-day exposure.

Defining Scales of Field Studies and Experiments to Assess Marine Cloud Brightening

Authors: Sarah J. Doherty, Michael S. Diamond, Robert Wood, Haruki Hirasawa

Synopsis: SRM is being explored as a potential tool to reduce climate risks while greenhouse gas levels decline. However, knowledge of its effectiveness, impacts, and risks is limited, relying mainly on natural analogs and climate models. Researchers propose a framework for SRM field experiments, applied to marine cloud brightening (MCB), that defines study scale, uses stage-gates for progress decisions, and links experiments to clear scientific goals, detectability metrics, and impact assessments to support informed research and governance.

Impact of solar radiation management in anomalous atmosphere in Indonesia Case Study: The extreme rainfall of surigae tropical cyclone in papua province, indonesia

Authors: Hendri; Ahmad Faqih; Sorja Koesuma; Jassica Listyarini; Delfina Azzahra Kusuma

Synopsis: This study examines extreme rainfall linked to tropical cyclones in Papua, eastern Indonesia, focusing on Tropical Cyclone Surigae (April 2021). Using ERA5 data and Solar Radiation Management (SRM) model simulations, along with GeoMIP bias correction, researchers analyzed atmospheric dynamics during the event. Results show strong agreement between datasets and suggest a decrease in rainfall over eastern Indonesia during the cyclone. However, simplifications in GeoMIP, particularly in cloud–aerosol interactions and SRM assumptions, may lead to underestimation of precipitation impacts.

Spatiotemporal characteristics of aerosols and low clouds from MODIS and their implications for marine cloud brightening

Authors: Liya Niu, Chuanfeng Zhao, Haotian Zhang, Yongen Liang & Annan Chen

Synopsis: This study evaluates the global potential of marine cloud brightening using MODIS satellite data (2003–2024) to analyze relationships between aerosol optical depth, cloud droplet radius, cloud optical thickness, and cloud fraction. Results show strong regional variability, with the North Pacific in autumn displaying favorable cloud responses to aerosols. However, heterogeneous and sometimes decoupled cloud responses highlight uncertainties. The study emphasizes that MCB assessments must use dynamic sensitivity analyses rather than simple climatological screening to better understand aerosol–cloud interactions.

SAI and L1 Space Sunshading Mass Requirements for Climate Mitigation: Fictitious Aerosol Disk Validation of SAI and Sunshade Formula Corrections - Preprint

Authors: Alec Feinberg

Synopsis: This study compares mass requirements for three solar geoengineering approaches, L1 space sunshading, SAI, and Earth brightening. Correcting a geometric error in earlier L1 sunshade estimates reduces required disk area by 30–40×, and up to 1600× under an annual deployment framework. Even so, large masses are needed, with ~19,000 tonnes initially for L1 systems. Regionally targeted SAI requires about 1,000 tonnes of SO₂ per year, rising slightly over time, highlighting mass as a key feasibility constraint for solar geoengineering.

Solar Geoengineering Potential in Flood Assuagement in Four East African Cities - Preprint

Authors: Herbert O. Misiani, Betty N. Barasa, Franklin Joseph Opijah, Hussen S. Endris, Jully O. Ouma, Christopher Lennard

Synopsis: This study assesses whether SRM could reduce future rainfall-driven flood risks in four major cities in Eastern Africa. Using the Rainfall–Runoff–Inundation model with CHIRPS observations and climate simulations from WACCM6 and ARISE-SAI (SSP2-4.5), researchers simulated historical and future flooding. Results suggest stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) could lower peak inundation depth and flood extent in areas of Dar es Salaam and Addis Ababa, reducing exposure of people and infrastructure. However, uncertainties remain due to rainfall modeling limits and reliance on a single hydrological framework.

Exploring divergent long-term stratospheric aerosol injection scenarios with the G2-SAI and ARISE-hybrid experiments - Preprint

Authors: Walker Raymond Lee, Simone Tilmes, and Ewa M. Bednarz

Synopsis: This study proposes a new G2-SAI experiment to better isolate climate responses to SAI. Using the CESM2 model with 150-year simulations, researchers test different aerosol injection strategies to control global temperatures. Results show that distinct injection patterns can produce similar temperature outcomes but very different Earth system responses, including impacts on the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). The findings highlight the importance of long-term simulations and strategy design in evaluating the climatic effects of SAI.

Mitigating Non-stationarity in Machine Learning-Based Downscaling of Climate Projections - Preprint

Authors: Yue Wang, Daniele Visioni, Ben Kravitz, Douglas G MacMartin, Dhruv Balwada

Synopsis: This study examines how machine learning (ML) can downscale climate projections under future warming and SRM scenarios. A U-Net model trained on historical data performs poorly under changing climate conditions, with large increases in temperature error. Researchers introduce a preprocessing method using residual learning and pixel-wise detrending to reduce distribution shifts. The improved model cuts RMSE below 0.27 °C, outperforms standard methods, runs faster, and enables the first ML-based high-resolution downscaling of a GeoMIP SRM (G6sulfur) simulation.

Heinrich Böll Stiftung - Who Funds and Who Pays: The funding of solar geoengineering, 2020–2025

X - The Dose Makes the Poison

Inevitable & Obvious - The Generosity of Spirit - The type of leadership that climate stabilization will depend on

Clean Energy Wire - Foundation calls for rules to prohibit solar radiation management as global investments rise

University of Birmingham - Why cutting emissions still matters more than ever

CSEi - CSEi Announces Latest Research Awards

LinkedIn - Learning from one-another to govern research into the unknown: reflections ahead of the Co-CREATE Forum

NRDC - Ignorance Is Not an Option: Why NRDC Is Engaging on Solar Geoengineering

LinkedIn - Protecting American Weather Sovereignty - Strategies for a Safe and Secure Atmosphere for America

E&E News by Politico - US should lead on planet-cooling technology for national security, report says

Havasu News - Hobbs vetoes Arizona bills on solar geoengineering, DPS funding and petition circulators

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ACCF - The National Security Case for U.S. Leadership In SRM Technology

Student Internship: Open Science for Reflective’s SAI Uncertainty Database at Reflective | San Francisco, CA

“Reflective is a climate research nonproft with the mission to equip the world with the data and tools needed to make informed decisions about sunlight reflection technologies, fast enough to matter.”

Call for Input - The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has launched a call for input on climate-related technologies, including geoengineering (CDR & SRM), to assess their potential impacts on human rights | ‎Deadline: 30 April 2026

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17-19 March | Tokyo, Japan - Sixteenth GeoMIP 2026 Meeting by Alan Robock and Daniele Visioni

18 March | University of Cambridge - Climate Repair: Hope or Hype? by Centre for Climate Repair

23 March | Boston - Unilateral Solar Geoengineering: A Scenario by Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies

24 March | Online - Live Discussion: Could Solar Geoengineering Prevent AMOC Collapse? by SRM360

25 March | Online - Deliberately Cooling the Planet. Could we? Should we? Would we? by RMetS

26 March | Online - Who Funds and Who Pays: The funding of solar geoengineering, 2020–2025 by HOME Alliance, the Heinrich Böll Foundation, and Geoengineering Monitor (NEW)

26 March | George Washington University - Plan C for Civilization, co-presented with the George Washington University and Planet Forward (NEW)

03-08 May | Vienna, Austria & Online - EGU26

13-15 May | University of Nottingham - IAA Planetary Sunshade Workshop by Planetary Sunshade Foundation

18 May | University of Chicago - Frontiers in Climate Systems Engineering by CSEi

28 – 29 May | Belgium - International Forum on Solar Radiation Modification Research Governance by Co-Create

02-04 June | Rwanda - The IAF Global Space Conference on Climate Change 2026 - Uniting Space and Earth for Climate Resilience

20-21 June | United States - Bridging the Knowledge Gaps in Climate Engineering with Experiments, Models, and Observations by Gordon Research Seminar

21-26 June 2026 | United States - Gordon Research Conference - Bridging Observations, Models, and Impacts in Solar Radiation Modification Research

Solar Geoengineering Events Calendar

As interest in geoengineering grows, lack of oversight poses risks | Here & Now Newsroom

“A new report warns of a concerning lack of oversight into geoengineering, or weather manipulation.

Here & Now’s Peter O’Dowd speaks with Grist’s climate news reporting fellow Rebecca Egan McCarthy about the spread of geoengineering and how it can be used to fight climate change.”

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CSEi Seminar Featuring Holly Jean Buck (University of Buffalo) | UChicago Climate Systems Engineering initiative

“Title: The fantasy of “social tipping points” — and what it can teach us about incorporating social feedbacks into climate response strategies

This talk reviews these nascent frameworks and identifies limitations in how modelers approach the incorporation of social factors into solar geoengineering research, assessment, and governance. It connects these efforts to broader questions about how social dynamics are represented in mitigation science, discourse and policy. The talk then outlines an alternative approach to incorporating social dynamics into responding to climate change — one grounded in qualitative research and civic engagement.”

Geoengineering: Catalyst or Threat? | Arctic Circle

“PANELISTS

Dalee Sambo Dorough, Senior Scholar, University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA), USA

Shaun Fitzgerald, Director, Centre for Climate Repair, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom

Mark Symes, Programme Director, ARIA - Advanced Research and Invention Agency, United Kingdom”

Geoengineering: from controversy to conflict | Open University

“Geoengineering, a term encompassing a set of climate modification techniques to combat global warming, is increasingly present in scientific, media, and diplomatic circles. Its gradual development raises major controversies, particularly concerning the risks and justice issues raised by these techniques. Simultaneously, the lack of clear international regulation and the growing power of state and private actors fuel geopolitical tensions. Internationally, the controversial nature of geoengineering can thus become a real factor in international rivalries and conflicts. Marine de Guglielmo Weber, a researcher at IRSEM, will analyze these controversies and their security implications for the global climate regime. The Open University lecture and debate series, organized by CY Cergy Paris University, invites lecturers who are either faculty members at CY or researchers from outside the university.”

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Why oppose solar geoengineering? Mapping and comparing underlying rationales across actor groups

Authors: Heleen M. Bruggink, Aarti Gupta, Rakhyun E. Kim & Frank Biermann

Synopsis: This study examines why governments, civil society groups, and academics oppose the development of solar geoengineering technologies. Analyzing policy documents and public statements, it identifies eight key concerns, including environmental risks, governance challenges, legal issues, delayed mitigation, and ethical objections. The research finds growing convergence among these critiques and a gradual normalization of a global “non-use” discourse, suggesting that opposition is increasingly shaping the political and normative landscape surrounding solar geoengineering research and potential deployment.

Sun-synchronous Solar Reflector Orbits designed for Illumination from Space

Authors: FJT Salazar, AFB of Almeida Prado, RV de Moraes

Synopsis: This study explores the feasibility of orbiting space mirrors designed to reflect sunlight toward Earth for applications such as illumination, solar power generation, and geoengineering. Using a two-body orbital analysis that accounts for solar radiation pressure and Earth’s oblateness (J2), researchers evaluate polar and in-plane mirror orbits. Results show that Sun-synchronous reflector orbits capable of distributing reflected solar energy are achievable, with low Sun-synchronous Earth orbits feasible only for polar configurations, while in-plane configurations require medium-altitude orbits.

Asian Precipitation Changes in the Past Millennium: Projection of Volcanic Forcing Onto Internal Mode

Authors: Wenmin Man, Bo Wu, Tianjun Zhou, Wenhui Tang, Meng Zuo

Synopsis: Using millennium-scale reconstructions and climate model simulations, this study finds that decadal variability in the Asian summer monsoon is largely driven by the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO). Volcanic aerosol forcing can also trigger similar precipitation patterns by altering sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation. However, externally forced responses show hemispheric asymmetries distinct from the IPO’s internal variability. These findings improve understanding of monsoon dynamics and offer insights into how climate interventions like SAI could influence Asian precipitation patterns.

A Climate Intervention Dynamical Emulator (CIDER) for scenario space exploration

Authors: Jared Farley, Douglas G. MacMartin, Daniele Visioni, Ben Kravitz, Ewa M. Bednarz, Alistair Duffey, Matthew Henry, and Ali Akherati

Synopsis: Researchers developed the Climate Intervention Dynamical EmulatoR (CIDER), a fast climate emulator designed to simulate the impacts of SAI across different deployment scenarios. Trained on Earth System Model simulations, CIDER can rapidly estimate global and regional effects on temperature, precipitation, evaporation, and sea ice as injection strategies vary. While not a replacement for full climate models, it enables quick exploration of diverse SAI scenarios, including uncoordinated multi-actor deployments, supporting research, education, and scenario planning at a fraction of the computational cost.

A Stratospheric Hose for Solar Radiation Management - Preprint

Authors: Roderick Hyde

Synopsis: This study proposes a high-altitude hose system as a low-cost method for delivering sulfur aerosols to the stratosphere for SRM. A hose reaching ~20 km could continuously inject about 100 kilotons of sulfur annually using balloon support. While a single system would mainly enable experimental testing, a network of ~20 installations could potentially offset CO₂-driven warming. The design examines liquid and gaseous H₂S delivery options, addressing engineering challenges such as pressure requirements, wind effects, and structural stabilization.

Climate Intervention through Stratospheric Aerosol Injection may partially mitigate marine heatwaves - Preprint

Authors: Lala Kounta, Lifeng Luo, Gouri Anil, Daniel M. Hueholt, et al.

Synopsis: SAI could reduce the intensity and duration of marine heatwaves (MHWs), according to model simulations using the Community Earth System Model. Compared with a non-SAI scenario (SSP2-4.5), SAI scenarios targeting ~1.0–1.5°C warming decrease MHW intensity in 25–76% of oceans and duration in 21–80%. The largest benefits occur in tropical and coastal regions. However, around 25% of the ocean, including parts of the North Atlantic, Tropical Pacific, and Southern Ocean, would still face stronger and longer MHWs, indicating uneven regional impacts.

Environmental Meteorology and Climate Manipulation - Solving Climate-Geoengineering Technology Problems

Edited by: John R. Vacca

Synopsis: This book provides a concise overview of climate engineering, examining geoengineering as a broad set of human interventions designed to modify Earth’s climate system. The book explores how human activities increasingly shape the atmosphere and environment, and reviews theoretical foundations, technological approaches, and practical applications. It discusses both established and emerging climate engineering techniques, offering insights into current capabilities and future developments aimed at addressing climate change.

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Solar Geoengineering Updates - Monthly Solar Geoengineering Updates (February’2026)

Planetary Sunshade Foundation - Space Reflector Baseline Survey - Boulder Workshop

Inside Climate News - A New Generation of Climate Scientists Warm Up to Solar Geoengineering

Forbes - Declining Aerosol Pollution Linked To Increased Solar Radiation, Study Finds

Iowa Capital Dispatch - House passes bills to ban cloud seeding and to enhance animal torture penalties

Grist - The US barely bothers to track geoengineering. What could go wrong?

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DSG - DSG 2025 Impact Report

Postdoctoral Position in Aerosol-Cloud Interactions and Marine Cloud Brightening

Prof. Hongwei Sun at the University of Hawaii at Manoa is seeking a postdoctoral researcher to conduct innovative research on Small-Scale Aerosol-Cloud Interactions within Marine Boundary Layer.

The successful candidate will conduct innovative research on using high-resolution models (e.g., SAM, WRF-Chem) and observational data to advance the process-level understanding of aerosol-cloud interactions (ACIs) within the marine boundary layer. Key research questions include how the background environment (e.g., global warming factors [Sun et al., 2026]) and aerosol type (e.g., sulfate aerosols from the Big Island volcanic eruptions) influence ACIs. Improved process-level understanding of ACIs could help optimize their parameterizations in global climate models (GCMs). The candidate may also contribute to exploring innovative injection strategies for marine cloud brightening (MCB), considering cloud microphysics and cloud radiative efficacy. The candidate will have the opportunity to collaborate with multiple research teams at the University of Washington, Washington University in St. Louis, and the University of Chicago.

Research Assistant or Associate in Atmospheric Simulation of Solar Radiation Modification at Imperial College London | South Kensington

“With global temperatures projected to exceed 2C above preindustrial and carbon emissions still growing, there is increasing concern that solar radiation modification (SRM) may be deployed to counteract harmful effects of climate change. However the impacts of SRM on (eg) monsoons, extreme weather, and air quality are poorly understood. We seek to develop and apply atmospheric models (e.g. GCMs and CTMs) to better understand the potential risks of such measures.”

Research Fellow, Weather and Atmospheric Interventions at Foundation for American Innovation

“Reporting to the Director of Science Policy, this person will be responsible for producing original research and commentary, developing policy events and convenings, and supporting FAI’s science policy team, with an emphasis on work around atmospheric science, weather data infrastructure, weather modification, and climate intervention governance. This full-time position is based in Washington, DC.”

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9-13 March 2026 | Kyoto, Japan - CMIP Community Workshop (CMIP26)

11 March | London - Securing the Stratosphere: Solar Geoengineering Technology in the Post Liberal World Order by King’s College London

11 March | England - Securing the Stratosphere: Solar Geoengineering Technology by School of Security Studies (NEW)

12 March | Online - Climate Intervention Virtual Symposia#24

13 March | United States - Into the Heart of the Doomsday Glacier by The Explorers Club (NEW)

17-19 March | Tokyo, Japan - Sixteenth GeoMIP 2026 Meeting by Alan Robock and Daniele Visioni

18 March | University of Cambridge - Climate Repair: Hope or Hype? by Centre for Climate Repair

23 March | Boston - Unilateral Solar Geoengineering: A Scenario by Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies (NEW)

24 March | Online - Live Discussion: Could Solar Geoengineering Prevent AMOC Collapse? by SRM360 (NEW)

25 March | Online - Deliberately Cooling the Planet. Could we? Should we? Would we? by RMetS

03-08 May | Vienna, Austria & Online - EGU26

13-15 May | University of Nottingham - IAA Planetary Sunshade Workshop by Planetary Sunshade Foundation

18 May | University of Chicago - Frontiers in Climate Systems Engineering by CSEi

28 – 29 May | Belgium - International Forum on Solar Radiation Modification Research Governance by Co-Create

02-04 June | Rwanda - The IAF Global Space Conference on Climate Change 2026 - Uniting Space and Earth for Climate Resilience

20-21 June | United States - Bridging the Knowledge Gaps in Climate Engineering with Experiments, Models, and Observations by Gordon Research Seminar

21-26 June 2026 | United States - Gordon Research Conference - Bridging Observations, Models, and Impacts in Solar Radiation Modification Research

Solar Geoengineering Events Calendar

The Most Dangerous Technology in the World? - Wim Carton | Urgent Futures with Jesse Damiani

“Geoengineering might sound nice in theory, but the consequences could be disastrous. Today’s guest, Wim Carton, co-wrote The Long Heat with Andreas Malm, which helps paint the full picture.”

Global Tipping Points in Oceanic and Atmospheric Circulations — Can SRM Back Us Off from the Brink? | Paul Beckwith

“Continued anthropogenic pressures on the Earth system hold the potential to disrupt established circulation patterns in the ocean and atmosphere.

In this narrative review, we investigate tipping points in these systems by assessing scientific evidence for feedbacks that may drive self-sustained change beyond critical forcing thresholds, drawing on insights from expert elicitation. The literature provides multiple strands of evidence for oceanic tipping points in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), the North Atlantic subpolar gyre (SPG), and the Antarctic Overturning Circulation, which may collapse under warmer and “fresher” (i.e. less salty) conditions.

A slowdown or collapse of these oceanic circulations would have far-reaching consequences for the rest of the climate system and could lead to strong impacts on human societies and the biosphere.

Among the atmospheric circulation systems considered, a few lines of evidence suggest the West African monsoon (WAM) as a tipping system. Its abrupt changes in the past have led to vastly different vegetation states of the Sahara (e.g. “green Sahara” states). Despite multiple potential sources of destabilization, evidence about tipping of the monsoon systems over South America and Asia is limited. Although theoretically possible, there is currently little indication for tipping points in tropical clouds or mid-latitude atmospheric circulations.

Similarly, tipping towards a more extreme or persistent state of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is currently not fully supported by models and observations. While the tipping thresholds for many of these systems are uncertain, tipping could have severe socioenvironmental consequences. Stabilizing Earth’s climate (along with minimizing other environmental pressures, such as aerosol pollution and ecosystem degradation) is critical for reducing the likelihood of reaching tipping points in the ocean–atmosphere system.”

“The Unknowability of Solar Geoengineering and Why it Matters” by Prof. Daniel P. Schrag | Oxford Climate Research Network

“OCRN is pleased to present our annual lecture for 2026 featuring Prof. Daniel P. Schrag from Harvard University speaking on “The Unknowability of Solar Geoengineering and Why it Matters.”

Racing Towards Hothouse Earth | Climate Emergency Forum

“In this episode we unpack the latest warnings about a potential Hothouse Earth trajectory. They explain what this term actually means, why it would be unsurvivable for human civilization, and how multiple amplifying feedbacks and tipping points are pushing us toward dangerous new territory.”

The conversation digs into new research, including updated timelines showing how quickly we may reach 2 °C and beyond, the accelerating loss of Arctic sea ice, weakening carbon sinks, and the growing risk from permafrost thaw and ocean heat buildup. Peter and Paul also explore the difference between probability and risk, and why current scenarios amount to what they call a “global suicide” pathway if left unchanged.

Finally, the panel discusses what it would actually take to avoid a Hothouse Earth outcome, arguing that deep emissions cuts alone are no longer enough. They outline a three‑part response: rapid fossil fuel phase‑out, large‑scale carbon removal, and carefully governed planetary cooling measures to buy time and prevent crossing irreversible tipping points.”

We Just Lost Earth’s “Parasol” – And Warming Is About to Accelerate | Just Have a Think

“The three warmest years on record are 2023, 2024 and 2025. It’s starting to look a bit like a trend, and not in the direction we want. Now a team of financial risk managers has crunched the data and published their findings on what’s likely to be causing the uplift. It’s not great news!”

Anthropocene Problem: Can Humans combat climate change by being more direct in nature? | Ah17

“This presentation examines how human activity in the Anthropocene has disrupted Earth’s climate through greenhouse gas emissions and environmental change. It explains the growing climate crisis and introduces solar geoengineering, particularly Solar Radiation Management (SRM), as a proposed method to reflect sunlight and temporarily cool the planet. The presentation evaluates both the potential benefits and risks of these technologies, including environmental, health, and ethical concerns, and discusses real-world examples of atmospheric modification such as volcanic cooling and cloud seeding. It ultimately asks whether humanity should attempt to deliberately control the climate or focus on reducing the emissions that caused the problem.”

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TOP 10 SRM UPDATES FROM FEBRUARY 2026

New Platform Launches to Implement Governance Principles for Solar Geoengineering Research

The Alliance for Just Deliberation on Solar Geoengineering, Natural Resources Defense Council, American Geophysical Union and Council on Energy, Environment and Water have launched the Solar Geoengineering Research Governance (SGRG) Platform to enhance transparency and oversight in solar geoengineering research.

The voluntary initiative will develop shared governance tools, including a Research Governance Charter and public disclosure systems, to build trust and consistent norms as SRM research expands. Initially formed by four organizations, the platform aims to broaden participation to institutions across regions and sectors, including laboratories and universities, and collaborate with the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA), the major government entity located in the UK funding SRM research. An official launch is planned for July 2026.

A Nordic Perspective on AMOC Tipping and the Role of Climate Intervention

The Nordic Council of Ministers has released a report on the risk of an Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) tipping point, warning of major climate and socio-economic impacts for Northern Europe. It calls for expanded research on climate intervention technologies alongside decarbonization and net-negative targets, urging stronger monitoring, preparedness and international governance frameworks in the context of AMOC risk.

Climate Intervention at High Latitudes - A 2030 Security Scenario

A new report by the Council on Strategic Risks presents a 2030 scenario in which high-latitude climate intervention, such as Arctic stratospheric aerosol injection, is pursued amid accelerating warming. It examines how unilateral action, geopolitical rivalry, scientific uncertainty and weak governance could heighten security tensions. The analysis highlights risks of escalation, misinformation and mistrust, urging early diplomacy, transparency and international oversight mechanisms.

Open Letter in Support of Applied-Science Testing and Piloting of Near-term Global Climate Cooling Approaches

Healthy Planet Action Coalition (HPAC) is inviting researchers and experts to co-sign an open letter urging support for applied-science testing and piloting of near-term global climate cooling approaches. The letter argues that to prepare options for “shaving the peak” warming between 2030-50, testing and piloting of climate cooling techniques like solar radiation management must begin now alongside emissions cuts and carbon removal. It pushes back against moratorium calls and seeks broader backing before submission to bodies like the IPCC ahead of COP-31.

The Degrees Initiative Expands SRM Research Grants in Global South

The Degrees Initiative has launched Expansion Grants to strengthen Solar Radiation Modification science leadership in the Global South. The program offers larger, longer-term funding of up to £200,000 per grant over 30 months to help established modelling teams deepen SRM research and mentor new scientists. Applications close 24 March 2026.

Ocean Visions Awards New Funding for Research on Arctic Geoengineering

Ocean Visions has awarded funding to six projects through its Arctic Sea Ice Restoration Research Fund, exploring approaches to slow or reverse summer sea ice loss, including marine cloud brightening and mixed-phase cloud thinning.

US Watchdog Urges Stronger Oversight of Weather Modification Activities

A new US Government Accountability Office (GAO) report said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration must strengthen its oversight of U.S. weather modification activities, including cloud seeding and “emerging” solar geoengineering work (GAO legally treated SRM as weather modification under the 1972 reporting law). The watchdog found NOAA’s documentation and monitoring of projects are inconsistent and its database incomplete, and recommends clearer guidance, better reporting instructions and regular outreach to operators and local agencies. NOAA agreed with the recommendations.

Environmental Defense Fund Announces First Grantees in SRM Research Program

Environmental Defense Fund has announced the first batch of grantees under its new Solar Radiation Modification research program, awarding nine one-year projects to study potential impacts of stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) on ecosystems, agriculture and water resources. The research will use past natural analogs like wildfires and volcanic eruptions to inform understanding of how reflective particles might affect light, crop yields, water availability and ecological productivity. EDF says the findings will help policymakers evaluate possible SRM effects with open, publicly available data.

Thwaites Glacier Underwater Barrier Plan

Scientists behind the Seabed Curtain Project have proposed building an 80-km, 150-m-tall underwater wall on the seabed off Thwaites Glacier, often called the “Doomsday Glacier, to block warm ocean water that is accelerating the melting of glacier from below. The geoengineering idea aims to slow sea-level rise that could reach ~65 cm if Thwaites collapses.

Last month, researchers travelled to Antarctica to collect field data, drilling nearly 1 km into the ice of Thwaites Glacier to install instruments and sensors that will transmit daily satellite data for a year to monitor how warm water is eroding the glacier’s base. Early pilot devices are already sending useful data despite some deployment challenges, helping scientists refine the project design. The team also plans further technology testing in the fjords of Norway as part of a multi-year research programme. Hear from project co-lead Marianne Hagen on whether this technology could realistically work.

DSG and CEyD Launch Climate Ethics and Climate Intervention Certificate Program in Argentina

The Alliance for Just Deliberation on Solar Geoengineering has collaborated with Climate Ethics and Development Foundation on Argentina’s University Certificate Program in Climate Ethics for Local Management and Development at the National University of Cordoba Córdoba. This program will equip government officials, civil society leaders, educators, and professionals across Argentina with the tools to engage critically with climate ethics and decision-making, bringing global debates on climate intervention to the local governance level.

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For a full recap of last month’s updates, check out our weekly summaries: WEEK 1 | WEEK 2 | WEEK 3 | WEEK 4
And here’s an overview:

RESEARCH PAPERS & THESES

South America monsoon lifecycle under SAI and no-SAI scenarios in a warming world | Authors: João Gabriel Martins Ribeiro, Michelle Simões Reboita & Daniele Visioni

CMIP6 models project that global warming delays South American Monsoon onset and shortens the rainy season, while SAI preserves historical timing but fails to restore monsoon intensity.

Reduction of Global Sulfate Aerosol Concentration and Corresponding Radiative Effects From Recent Chinese SO2 Emission Reduction | Authors: Warren P. Smith, Simone Tilmes, Benjamin Gaubert, et al.

This study shows that declining Chinese SO₂ emissions (2010–2020) reduced upper-tropospheric sulfate aerosols by up to >20%, increasing global net radiative forcing by ~0.10–0.15 W m⁻², with pronounced regional impacts.

Why do people embrace renewable and sustainable energy technologies for mitigation and geoengineering for adaptation? Explore norms, emotions, and attitudes driving social acceptance | Authors: Milani Alessandro, Dessi Federica, Bonaiuto Marino

Public acceptance of geoengineering and renewable energy is driven mainly by personal and social norms and affective risk–benefit perceptions, with geoengineering support linked to perceived necessity and renewables shaped by more complex emotional responses, this study finds.

Potential impacts of stratospheric aerosol injection on crop yields and related economic outcomes in Africa | Authors: Rhoda Fiyinfoluwa Ayedun, Babatunde J Abiodun and Lili Xia

This study finds that under SSP2-4.5, warming lowers African maize and millet yields, while SAI partially offsets temperature-driven losses - especially in West Africa - but rainfall shifts create regional disparities and do not replace mitigation or adaptation.

Effects of Warming and Stratospheric Aerosol Injection on Tropical Cyclone Distribution and Frequency: Results From a High-Resolution Global Circulation Model | Authors: Andrew Feder, David Randall, Donald Dazlich

High-resolution simulations show SAI could restore global tropical cyclone counts under SSP5-8.5 warming, but significant regional shifts in storm frequency and intensity would still occur.

Solar Geoengineering: Protecting Democratic Deliberations in a Contested Information Environment | Authors: Trish Lavery

This study shows that solar geoengineering’s complexity and governance uncertainty make it vulnerable to disinformation campaigns that could distort democratic debate, underscoring the need for strategic communications to protect evidence-based deliberation.

Marine cloud brightening mitigates the warming induced by the aerosol reductions toward carbon neutrality | Authors: Yang Yu, Yang Yang, Hailong Wang, Lynn M. Russell, et al.

This study finds that marine cloud brightening could offset warming from declining aerosols and stabilize global climate near 2020 levels, but regional warming persists due to circulation changes, highlighting location-sensitive risks.

Aerosol-Cloud Interactions: Overcoming a Barrier to Projecting Near-Term Climate Evolution and Risk | Authors: Ulas Im, Bjørn H. Samset, Athanasios Nenes, Jennie L. Thomas, et al.

Aerosol–cloud interactions remain poorly constrained, and the study calls for improved observations and modeling to better predict near-term warming and guide climate policy.

The Liability of Greenhouse Gas Emitters for Harm Due to Solar Geoengineering | Authors: Mac Willners

This article argues that liability for solar geoengineering harms should be shared by greenhouse gas emitters under an “Emitter Pays Principle,” rather than borne solely by deployers under the Polluter Pays Principle.

The effect of particle shape on shortwave radiative forcing in stratospheric aerosol injection | Authors: Benjamin Vennes, Thomas C. Preston

This study finds that particle shape has little effect on SAI performance, with albedo enhancement driven mainly by particle size and refractive index.

Middle atmosphere chemical and dynamical effects in the CCMI-2022 stratospheric aerosol injection scenario - Preprint | Authors: Andrin Jörimann, Timofei Sukhodolov, Simone Tilmes, et al.

This CCMI-2022 multi-model study finds that SAI causes modest global ozone losses and circulation-driven redistribution, with nonlinear chemistry–dynamics feedbacks contributing to model uncertainty.

Drivers of reduced permafrost cooling efficacy of equatorial stratospheric aerosol injection in the Eastern Arctic compared to a moderate emission pathway - Preprint | Authors: Isaline Businger, Rhonda Müller, et al.

This study finds that SAI slows Arctic permafrost loss but shifts circulation and climate patterns, causing regional thaw disparities and preserving less permafrost than a moderate mitigation pathway (SSP2-4.5).

Investigating the relationship between El Niño Southern Oscillation and cirrus clouds - Preprint | Authors: Ehsan Erfani

Using 30+ years of satellite data, the study finds ENSO-driven changes in convection and atmospheric conditions significantly modify cirrus cloud properties and their climate effects.

Stratospheric aerosol forcing for CMIP7 (part 2): Volcanic sulfur dioxide emissions - Preprint | Authors: Thomas J. Aubry, Michael Sigl, Matthew Toohey, et al.

This study introduces a new CMIP7 volcanic sulfur emissions inventory (1750–2023) that improves representation of eruption magnitude, height, and location, enabling more accurate climate and aerosol modeling.

Coral reef exposure increases aerosol and cloud condensation nuclei over the Great Barrier Reef - Preprint | Authors: Juha Sulo, Magdalena Okuljar, Joel Alroe, Zijun Li, et al.

This study shows that coral reefs in the Great Barrier Reef can locally increase ultrafine aerosol particles, while overall aerosol and cloud condensation nuclei levels remain dominated by transported marine aerosols.

Atmospheric Intra-vention : Reimagining Solar Geoengineering Through Feminist New Materialism - Thesis | Author: Pokela, Anni

This thesis reframes feminist critiques of SAI through agential realism and speculative feminism, proposing “climate intra-vention” as an ethical framework for engaging with planetary climate processes.

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WEB POSTS & REPORTS

‎Solar Geoengineering Updates – Monthly Solar Geoengineering Updates (January’2026)

Joshua Horton – Three reasons why we shouldn’t frame geoengineering as a security issue

KPCW – Utah senator reintroduces bill to address chemtrail conspiracy theory

New Scientist – Solar geoengineering comes at a cost

DSG – Ocean Governance at the Edge of Climate Risk: Lessons from Bermuda

DW – Why scientists warn of privately funded geoengineering

Antik Plovdiv – Termination Shock Risks Escalating the Economic Toll of Climate Change

MSN – Scientists launch bold Great Barrier Reef experiment: “Why wouldn’t we?”

Inevitable & Obvious - Why Countries Aren’t Ready for Climate Interventions Yet

SRM360 - Why Research Space-Based Sunlight Reflection?

Legal Planet - A Science-Policy Dialogue on SRM for Latin America

Impakter - Underwater Wall to Protect the ‘Doomsday Glacier’: Necessary Intervention or Costly Distraction?

Greg Steube - Rep. Steube Introduces Air Quality Act

E&E News by Politico - Bill would empower EPA to root out climate tampering

Keep Cool - From moral hazards to moral responsibilities

Lootpress - West Virginia Bill Would Prohibit Cloud Seeding

Des Moines Register - As an environmentalist, I urge Iowa to ban geoengineering

Eesa - EarthCARE tracks how ship emissions transform clouds

Wyoming Public Media - ‘Chemtrail’ legislation ban is nixed, but cloud seeding approval moves forward

Springer Nature Link - Global Environmental Politics

The Degrees Initiative - Expansion Grants: Scaling Global South leadership in SRM science

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DSG - How SRM Intersects with Geopolitics and Security

DSG - CIN Stories: Strengthening Early-Career Collaboration on Climate Intervention

SRM360 - Mixed-Phase Cloud Thinning

Climate Wire - Nonprofit throws its weight behind Arctic geoengineering

Stony Brook University - Collaborative for the Earth Hosts First Screening of ‘Plan C for Civilization’

The Guardian - Injecting particulates into the atmosphere isn’t a magical fix for the climate crisis

LinkedIn - ACIRH Wrap-Up

My Joy Online - Africa must lead climate intervention conversation – Experts

Matthias Honegger - Call for Balance on SRM – in Research and Assessment

SRM360 - Different Takes: Should SRM Be Seen as a Serious Security Issue?

Inevitable & Obvious – The Immune Response‎

meer – The coming age of climate control: AI, aerosols, cloud seeding, and the dangerous vacuum of global governance

SRM360 – Could a Focus on Clouds Help Repair the Arctic?

E&E News by Politico – Geoengineering gets a road map

Geoengineering Monitor – Geoengineering the stratosphere: Funding for high-altitude geoengineering research is increasing massively

The ARC: Thoughts on a safe climate future – Geoengineering is no longer a useful term

GAO – Weather Modification: NOAA Should Strengthen Oversight to Ensure Reliable Information

Anthropocene – Less air pollution means more warming. Could marine cloud brightening offset the paradox?

E&E News by Politico – NOAA must ramp up oversight of weather modification, GAO says

The Economic Times – How a Volcano Can Cool the Entire Planet

Governance Cybernetics – Penguins Are Solar Geoengineers

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists – Solar geoengineering doesn’t solve the human problem

ScienceX – Could – and should – we thin clouds to cool the planet?

LinkedIn – Solar radiation modification: non-proliferation or climate action?

CFG – Call for evidence for the EU’s Strategic Foresight Report 2026

Climate Mitigation, Adaptation, and Intervention

Torbay Today – Exeter students debate climate change at Model UN conference

Upon Further Reflection - Reflective Scientific Advisory Board: 2025 Meeting Report

Nordic Co-operation - A Nordic Perspective on AMOC Tipping - Impacts and Strategies for Prevention and Governance

The Council on Strategic Risks - Climate Intervention at High Latitudes: A 2030 Security Scenario

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Programme Officer – Latin America and the Caribbean at The Degrees Initiative | Deadline: 26 March 2026

“The Degrees Initiative is a UK-based NGO that strengthens the capacity of the Global South to evaluate SRM, a controversial proposal for reducing some impacts of climate change by reflecting sunlight away from the Earth.”

Research Fellow in Earth System Modelling at University of Leeds

“University of Leeds is seeking a postdoctoral research scientist to work within the ARIA-funded, multi-centre project PROMOTE (Progressing Earth System Modelling for Tipping Point Early Warning Systems). The successful candidate will join the UKESM core team, contributing to the development, evaluation, and application of a new hybrid-resolution version of the 2nd UK Earth system model (UKESM2). The key aim of PROMOTE is to develop and apply a high-resolution ESM to investigate the risks, consequences, and potential interactions between abrupt changes in the North Atlantic subpolar gyre (SPG) and the Greenland ice sheet. The resulting modelling system may act as an early-warning system for abrupt change in both phenomena.”

Department Assistant at Climate Systems Engineering Administration

“The Climate Systems Engineering initiative (CSEi) is a new university-wide research effort seeded in the Physical Sciences Division (PSD) and part of a larger climate and energy focus at the University of Chicago, anchored in the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth (the Institute). CSEi addresses the science, engineering, and policy of new technologies to reduce or reverse the harms from accumulated greenhouse gasses, including open-systems carbon removal, solar geoengineering, and local interventions to slow the melting of glaciers.”

2026 Summer Polsky Research Fellowship - Research Assistant with Dr. Peter Irvine, Research Assistant Professor, Department of Geophysical Sciences

“As the global community struggles to limit global warming, interest is growing in interventions to lower global temperatures. SAI, a method of stabilizing temperatures by releasing reflective particles into the upper atmosphere, appears to offer a practical means of doing so. SAI would offer some limited control over climate outcomes, with the total amount of cooling a choice, as well as the relative cooling of high and low latitudes. To understand whether SAI should be pursued will require a rigorous risk-risk analysis of the trade-offs between the novel environmental risks of different SAI scenarios and the “baseline risk” of a rapidly warming world.

For this studentship, you will contribute to an ongoing research project to make a comprehensive assessment of SAI’s potential consequences. This core project is focused on making a multi-model comparison of the response to standard scenarios of SAI, while your project will explore how that response differs for alternative SAI scenarios in a single climate model, the community earth system model. Drawing on existing climate model simulations of SAI, you will apply analytical tools in the python programming language to extend the core analysis to these alternative scenarios.

The ultimate goal is to identify for which variables and in which regions SAI could work well and where it could worsen the impacts of climate change. This work will help provide a vital, evidence-based foundation for an informed discussion of SAI as a climate policy option.”

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UPCOMING EVENTS

9-13 March 2026 | Kyoto, Japan - CMIP Community Workshop (CMIP26)

11 March | London - Securing the Stratosphere: Solar Geoengineering Technology in the Post Liberal World Order by King’s College London

12 March | Online - Climate Intervention Virtual Symposia#24

17-19 March | Tokyo, Japan - Sixteenth GeoMIP 2026 Meeting by Alan Robock and Daniele Visioni

18 March | University of Cambridge - Climate Repair: Hope or Hype? by Centre for Climate Repair

25 March | Online - Deliberately Cooling the Planet. Could we? Should we? Would we? by RMetS

03-08 May | Vienna, Austria & Online - EGU26

13-15 May | University of Nottingham - IAA Planetary Sunshade Workshop by Planetary Sunshade Foundation

18 May | University of Chicago - Frontiers in Climate Systems Engineering by CSEi

28 – 29 May | Belgium - International Forum on Solar Radiation Modification Research Governance by Co-Create

02-04 June | Rwanda - The IAF Global Space Conference on Climate Change 2026 - Uniting Space and Earth for Climate Resilience

20-21 June | United States - Bridging the Knowledge Gaps in Climate Engineering with Experiments, Models, and Observations by Gordon Research Seminar

21-26 June 2026 | United States - Gordon Research Conference - Bridging Observations, Models, and Impacts in Solar Radiation Modification Research

Solar Geoengineering Events Calendar

PODCASTS

Ice, ice, maybe: should the Arctic be refrozen? | The Intelligence

“Many scientists are considering the notion of actively cooling the region that is warming fastest. We examine the merits and the risks—both environmental and geopolitical—of messing with the polar climate.”

YOUTUBE VIDEOS

Solar Geoengineering Lunch Talk: Harvard’s Zhiming Kuang on Cirrus Clouds | The Salata Institute at Harvard University

“Cirrus clouds – thin, wispy, high-altitude clouds made of ice crystals – play a critical role in Earth’s radiation balance, reflecting incoming solar radiation while trapping outgoing longwave radiation. Because of this dual role, changes to cirrus clouds can result in either warming or cooling in nontrivial ways. The microphysical properties of cirrus clouds, such as the number, size, and shape of ice crystals, influence their radiative effects, and are also highly sensitive to environmental conditions like temperature, humidity, and the presence of aerosols. While stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) aims to cool Earth’s surface by scattering incoming solar radiation, the strategy’s impacts on cirrus microphysics remain poorly understood, potentially leading to unintended consequences. In this seminar, Prof. Zhiming Kuang gives an overview of his ongoing research on aerosol–cirrus interactions, combining high-resolution simulations, aircraft measurements, and machine learning to provide critical insights into the potential climate impacts of cirrus modification from SAI.”

Frontiers Science House | Experts at odds: debating geoengineering | Frontiers

“What should be permissible in the race to limit global warming, and where do we draw the line on geoengineering?

Experts engage in a frank discussion of climate interventions—from carbon dioxide removal to albedo modification—grounded in the latest science. The session probes decision-making under uncertainty, the role of international norms and governance, and the safeguards needed to avoid moral hazard while keeping options on the table.”

Climate Intervention in the Thick Present: Tipping Points, Haraway and Staying with the Trouble | Operaatio Arktis

“With OA’s founding principle of refusing to accept harm, Anni Pokela crystallized our ongoing mission in her speech in Climate Repair Conference in St. John’s College, Cambridge last summer:

”Since we last really evaluated our climate strategies and our approaches, the reality has changed drastically. So our strategies and our approaches have to change with it if we want to respond. And that’s what climate intervention research is about at its best – not just responsibility, but ability to respond.”

This speech was originally given by OA’s strategy specialist Anni Pokela at the Arctic Repair Conference in Cambridge.”

Emergency Geoengineering & the Virtues of Earth Stewardship by Allen Thompson | The Schweitzer Institute

“Geoengineering, especially solar radiation management (SRM), is increasingly discussed as a response to climate change. This paper argues that, while humans have a moral obligation to serve as planetary managers and can do so without hubris, virtuous Earth stewardship cannot include developing or deploying SRM. In response to the argument that SRM could be justified as a “lesser evil” in a climate emergency, it is argued that SRM could yield genuine moral dilemmas and thus is inconsistent with virtuous planetary stewardship.”

HCI Teaser Film | Healthy Climate Initiative | Healthy Climate Initiative

“A changing climate threatens our coasts, forests, and future—but there is hope. The Healthy Climate Initiative: Regenerating Our Future is a short film that tells the story of scientists, communities, and young leaders working together to cool the planet, restore ecosystems, and inspire collective action. From reforestation in rural villages to workshops at leading universities, HCI is building a movement for a safe and thriving future. Join us in regenerating our planet.”

Greg Slater Update on a Proposal for a First Antarctic SAI Test | Healthy Planet Action Coalition

“Greg Slater will be presenting an “Update On a Proposal For the ‘First Antarctic SAI Test’ (FAST)”. He will be discussing the need to have the first tests of SAI immediately (as in, 10 years ago, or tomorrow at the latest). He will make the case for immediate tests and also present his own set of test proposals.”

How has our thickening method been performing? | Arctic Reflections

“We’re taking regular measurements to track how the pumped water is building new ice. So far, we see buildup of ice of around 25cm and in some cases even higher.”

SRM Research: Science, Risk & Responsibility with Dakota Gruener | Climate Chat

“In this Climate Chat episode, host Dan Miller interviews the CEO of Reflective, Dakota Gruener, about her organization’s support of Sunlight Reflection Methods (SRM, a.k.a., solar-geoengineering) research.”

Climate and Agriculture | ToSaveTheWorld

“Dennis Garrity’s and Robert Tulip’s professional careers addressed development problems. Now the planet’s heat threatens to reduce food production, so they promote quicker solutions.”

Albedo Feedbacks Dominate Current and Future Warming to ≥ 6°C | HPAC

Climate Change, Economics and Geo-engineering with Pf. Gernot wagner | Climate Converse

“In this episode of the Climate Converse Podcast, we sit down with Professor Gernot Wagner, a climate economist at the Columbia School of Business and author of Geoengineering: The Gamble. We dive deep into why climate change is fundamentally a risk management problem and explore the “radical” and “unsettling” world of solar geoengineering.”

How Might Solar Geoengineering Affect Global Security? | SRM360

“An expert panel featuring Erin Sikorsky, Beth Chalecki, and Sofia Kabbej discuss:

– How climate change affects global and regional security dynamics

– Whether solar geoengineering could reduce some climate-driven security risks

– What new security risks or geopolitical tensions solar geoengineering might introduce”

Scientists for the climate - Centre for Climate Repair seminar | Centre for Climate Repair

“Scientists at the University of Cambridge are studying not just the effects of climate change, but what we might be able to do about it. On 12th February 2026, we got to hear about work across disciplines that is helping to build actionable ideas for tackling climate change.”

APS GPC: Solar Geoengineering — the looming train wreck | American Physical Society