Two victories cast a shadow over geoengineers’ Solar Radiation Management plans
In just under three weeks there have been two significant setbacks to the dangerous and controversial geoengineering agenda that has recently been pushed hard by proponents in various UN spaces, as a supposed ‘technofix’ to the climate change crisis.
Solar geoengineering, also called Solar Radiation Management (SRM), comprises a set of technological proposals to block sunlight from reaching the earth to reduce the earth’s temperature. But it entails serious adverse impacts for communities, nature, biodiversity, health, food security and even for national security and the geopolitical balance.
It’s important to get the word out! We hope you might be able to help us spread the news about these precedent-setting changes. We need to ensure that opposition remains strong and vocal and that the current UN moratorium on geoengineering technologies like SRM is upheld.
Over 500 scientists from all over the world have already called for a Solar Geoengineering Non-Use Agreement because they concluded that solar geoengineering is too risky, can´t be governed in a fair and democratic way and could be misused by powerful actors or countries controlling the technology.
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Victory #1: A controversial proposal to UNEA-6 was shut down by Global South countries and broad civil society resistance
At UNEA-6, the UN Environment Assembly held in Nairobi, Kenya, 26 February-1 March, a Swiss resolution on SRM was withdrawn after long negotiations.
Global South countries and civil society raised the alarm that the proposed experts’ group on SRM could be a Trojan horse, enabling countries like the US and Canada to table pro-solar geoengineering proposals and perspectives favouring the eventual deployment of SRM.
In contrast, the African group, endorsed by Colombia and other Global South countries, called for a mechanism to ensure the non-use of solar geoengineering. They also pointed to the need to compile knowledge on SRM from governments, Indigenous peoples, local communities, civil society and other stakeholders, creating a repository of accessible and multidisciplinary information. That could help countries protect themselves, including from rogue experiments, such as those recently conducted in Mexico.
The African Group, Mexico, Fiji, Pakistan and several other countries from the Global South, often backed by the EU, also worked to reaffirm the precautionary approach and the CBD moratorium.
These proposals were blocked by high emitting countries forcing the Swiss proposal to be withdrawn. Ultimately, it was better to have no resolution than a resolution that would have installed geoengineers as the main source of information on geoengineering – resulting in a win for the Global South countries.
Read our press release for more details.
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Victory #2: Harvard´s SCoPEx experiment to block the sun cancelled
Just days later we are delighted to hear the news that Harvard’s flagship solar geoengineering experiment, the SCoPEx project – which we have opposed together with our allies since its inception in 2015 – has been closed down. This is a resounding victory for civil society and Indigenous peoples’ organizations who have been resisting solar geoengineering projects.
The proposed experiment aimed to develop and conduct open-air tests of solar geoengineering technologies used in Stratospheric Aerosol Injection.
Stopping open-air experiments is vital now that several countries like the US, Israel, Canada, and the United Kingdom have announced plans to advance solar geoengineering research. It is clear that the real impact of solar geoengineering ‘experiments’ is to promote a narrative of future use, advancing the technology towards actual deployment.
See our press release for more details.
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