New Roadmap Outlines Solar Geoengineering Research
Reflective, a nonprofit, has published a detailed research roadmap for stratospheric aerosol injection, aiming to fill gaps in understanding its effects. The plan would cost about $370 million and take a decade if coordinated, and it advocates for outdoor experiments despite controversy.
Reflective's proposed research plan would require roughly $370 million and a decade of coordinated work, or nearly $1.4 billion and twenty years if pursued independently. The organization has already secured over $20 million in funding and distributed about $4 million to various research teams, while also developing open-source simulation tools and a collaborative research hub.
The roadmap's endorsement of outdoor stratospheric experiments, releasing sulfur dioxide to observe atmospheric effects, remains highly contentious. Since 2002, hundreds of academics have signed a letter opposing such trials and advocating for an international non-use agreement, with critics like Aarti Gupta arguing that fundamental questions about control and governance of a planet-altering technology cannot be resolved through additional scientific study.
This roadmap could significantly influence how philanthropies and governments prioritize solar geoengineering research, potentially accelerating outdoor experiments despite ethical objections. If pursued, it may shape international climate policy discussions, though unresolved governance questions could create friction between nations. The findings could ultimately inform decisions on whether to deploy such interventions, but the controversy over who controls the technology may limit practical application, affecting how societies balance environmental risks against potential climate benefits.