Setting an Agenda for Solar Geoengineering Research and Governance

The Biden administration has wasted no time getting to work on advancing climate action. Still, even greatly accelerated efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and remove and sequester carbon may not be enough to avoid severe climate harms. This has led some to call for accelerating research into potential solar geoengineering technologies to cool Earth by reflecting sunlight back to space. While these technologies have potential to limit warming, they also pose risks from local to global scales. How can nations and civil society effectively weigh the risks and potential of solar geoengineering as a possible climate response?  A new National Academy of Sciences Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) Report, Reflecting Sunlight: Recommendations for Solar Geoengineering Research and Research Governance, aims to provide policymakers and researchers with recommendations on the development of a robust, equitable, and responsibly governed solar geoengineering research program. A new National Academy of Sciences Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) Report, “Reflecting Sunlight: Recommendations for Solar Geoengineering Research and Research Governance,” aims to provide policymakers and researchers with recommendations on the development of a robust, equitable, and responsibly governed solar geoengineering research program. The Wilson Center, the Forum for Climate Engineering Assessment, and the Union of Concerned Scientists hosted a panel discussion on the NASEM report and its implications for the future of solar geoengineering.

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