Governing Solar Radiation Management

As recent findings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change make clear, the world is going to have to do much more to rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions if we are to avoid significant hazards from a warmer planet. One of those actions may involve intervening directly in the atmosphere to reflect sunlight before it can heat the earth’s surface. This type of climate engineering strategy is called solar radiation management, or SRM, and it is being discussed and researched by scientists.

SRM research, with its potential for irreversible changes to a complex global system, is controversial and raises many questions. One of the most critical of these questions is the governance of SRM research: How should decisions governing this research be made, by whom and with what objectives?

The Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes and the Forum for Climate Engineering Assessment, within American University’s School of International Service, invites you to a conversation about the Forum for Climate Engineering Assessment’s latest report, “Governing Solar Radiation Management.” Written by the Academic Working Group on Climate Engineering Governance, this report offers a fresh evaluation of governance needs and a set of near-term, practical governance recommendations for SRM technologies. Join us to learn about the conclusions of the report and hear members of the Working Group reflect on the process of crafting this consensus document while also providing critical feedback on the report.

Presented in collaboration with the Forum for Climate Engineering Assessment.