The Simons Foundation supports an international collaborative research program designed to fill fundamental scientific knowledge gaps relevant to Solar Radiation Management (SRM), an emerging collection of approaches — including stratospheric aerosol injection, marine cloud brightening and cirrus cloud thinning — designed to modify the Earth’s radiative balance and cool the planet.
Reducing atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations remains the only long-term strategy to mitigate climate change and other impacts. But SRM could represent a path to addressing negative consequences this century. However, it may also pose significant environmental and societal risks, including stratospheric warming, ozone depletion and changes in rainfall.
At present, not enough is known about SRM systems and their potential impacts to allow informed decision-making. This call aims to help fill key knowledge gaps in the science of SRM.