Scientists call for ban on geoengineering as tool to combat climate change: ‘Don’t mess with the sun’

EU scientists have warned against the use of geoengineering to reflect sunlight off the planet, saying that the practice can have adverse effects on Earth. Countries have been employing social geoengineering to address the issue of increasing levels of greenhouse gas emissions, a practice that has now been touted for having dramatic impacts.

Scientists have cautioned that solar radiation modification (SRM) technologies are not yet advanced enough for safe deployment, leading to calls for the European Commission to advocate for a global agreement against their use.

Nebojsa Nakicenovic, a member of the EU’s seven-strong Group of Chief Scientific Advisors said, “Deploying them could have effects on the climate in different parts of the world which would be difficult to predict and difficult to manage in practice.”

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Chair of the European Group on Ethics, Barbara Prainsack said, “Even if some of these proposals could address the symptoms of climate change, they do not address the cause, and presenting them as solutions could damage the efforts that are already underway to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change.”

What is SRM?

SRM, commonly known as solar geoengineering, employs technologies that reflect part of sunrays falling on Earth back into space with an aim to reverse trends of global warming and limit greenhouse gas emissions.

The methods of SRM include Stratospheric Aerosol Injection, Marine Cloud Brightening, Surface Albedo Modification and Space Mirrors.

Proponents of SRM argue that these technologies should be researched as global temperatures approach the 1.5°C (2.7°F) threshold above preindustrial levels that world leaders have committed to maintaining.

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Moratorium announced

Highlighting the detrimental effects of solar geoengineering, scientists have announced a Europe-wide moratorium and have called for future discussions before employing such methods.

The Centre for Future Generations expressed support for the scientists’ call for more comprehensive research into the impacts of geoengineering. “The floods in Valencia and the stalled progress in Baku highlight the severe risks we face as the climate continues to deteriorate,” stated Cynthia Scharf, a senior fellow at the Brussels-based think tank.