environment
If geoengineering is ever deployed in a climate emergency, transparency is key
We must not let geoengineering be shaped behind closed doors. Climate justice demands an inclusive approach
TL;DR
- Solar geoengineering, the deliberate reflection of sunlight to cool the planet, is gaining attention as a potential solution to the climate crisis.
- Advocates see it as a way to buy time, while critics warn of unknown risks and a distraction from meaningful climate action.
- Research into techniques like stratospheric aerosol injection and marine cloud brightening is advancing, primarily in the Global North.
- The Global South, at the forefront of the climate crisis, is largely excluded from public discourse and policymaking on solar geoengineering.
- The effects of solar geoengineering would be unevenly distributed, potentially benefiting some regions while harming others, necessitating comprehensive research on impacts and mitigation.
- A lack of inclusive research and public debate in the Global South creates a knowledge, capacity, and influence gap.
- Efforts to fund research and explore governance in the Global South are emerging but remain under-resourced.
- Public research led by Global South institutions, research networks rooted in southern universities, and south-south collaboration are needed.
- A global governance framework ensuring equity, transparency, and informed consent is essential.
- Understanding solar geoengineering does not equate to endorsement; it empowers participation in critical assessment and policy discussions.
- Solar geoengineering is seen as a temporary measure with significant risks of unintended consequences, political misuse, or abrupt termination, and does not address root causes like fossil fuel dependence or ocean acidification.
- Climate justice demands that any planetary intervention be debated transparently and shaped inclusively.