Potential obstruction of climate change mitigation through ISO standard on radiative forcing management

The briefing expresses concern that ISO/WD 14082, intended to standardize the measurement of non-greenhouse gas climate forcers, may be used to create markets for 'climate coolants'. This would allow entities to offset greenhouse gas emissions by emitting reflective pollutants, potentially delaying decarbonization in sectors like shipping and aviation and undermining international climate accounting methods.

• The ISO standard ISO/WD 14082, titled “Radiative forcing management – Guidance for quantification and reporting of radiative forcing climate footprints and mitigation efforts,” aims to standardize how non-greenhouse gas climate forcers, such as soot or particulate matter, affect the climate.
• A 2019 leaked draft of the standard suggests the creation of radiative forcing reduction markets, allowing for the buying and selling of credits based on "climate coolants" (substances with negative radiative forcing). This could enable countries or companies to offset greenhouse gas emissions by emitting reflective pollutants.
• The initiative is led by two US-based private companies, SCS Global Services and First Environment. In 2019, SCS Global Services spent at least $28,000 on lobbyists in California to promote Senate Bill 682, which concerns a "radiative forcing management climate accounting protocol."
• Germany, Canada, and France have opposed the initiative. The German Standard Setting Organization DIN raised concerns in April 2020 regarding the standard's potential to legitimize solar radiation management, its deflection from core climate causes, and the lack of representation from non-industrialised countries.
• The briefing identifies four primary risks of using negative radiative forcing as an offsetting mechanism: it could disrupt critical weather systems, it does not address ocean acidification, it requires continuous application to prevent a rapid climate snapback, and it allows sectors like air travel and shipping to delay decarbonization.

APA

Climate Social Science Network (2021). Potential obstruction of climate change mitigation through ISO standard on radiative forcing management. https://cssn.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Copy-of-CSSN-Briefing-v3.pdf

Chicago

Climate Social Science Network. Potential obstruction of climate change mitigation through ISO standard on radiative forcing management. 2021. https://cssn.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Copy-of-CSSN-Briefing-v3.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Social Science Network |title=Potential obstruction of climate change mitigation through ISO standard on radiative forcing management |date=2021 |url=https://cssn.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Copy-of-CSSN-Briefing-v3.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatesocialsciencenetwork2021potential, author = {{Climate Social Science Network}}, title = {{Potential obstruction of climate change mitigation through ISO standard on radiative forcing management}}, institution = {Climate Social Science Network}, year = {2021}, url = {https://cssn.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Copy-of-CSSN-Briefing-v3.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }