Informe Conferencia de las Américas sobre la Modificación de la Radiación Solar: Ciencia, Gobernanza e Implicaciones para la Región

The report details a two-day conference in Jamaica focused on Solar Radiation Modification (SRM). It covers the scientific basis of SRM, including Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI) and Marine Cloud Brightening (MCB), the risks of 'termination shock,' and the necessity of a 'risk-risk' framework to compare SRM dangers against those of unchecked global warming. The proceedings highlight a significant gap in research and funding for the Global South, the specific vulnerabilities of Small Island Developing States like Jamaica, and the current state of US policy and governance frameworks for solar geoengineering research.

• Solar Radiation Modification (SRM) is not a climate mitigation option because it does not address the root cause of climate change—the increase of greenhouse gases (GHG)—and fails to address related issues such as ocean acidification.
• The application of SRM is considered controversial due to low confidence in regional climate responses and the risk of 'termination shock,' where a sudden stop in SRM under high-emission scenarios would cause rapid climate change.
• Research suggests that SRM could cause abrupt changes in the water cycle, particularly in tropical regions, and its impacts are spatially heterogeneous, meaning it may affect different regions in disruptive ways.
• Two primary SRM strategies are discussed: Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI), which is better understood and global in nature, and Marine Cloud Brightening (MCB), which is less complex and could be applied at a regional scale.
• A 'risk-risk' framework is proposed to guide decision-making, evaluating the risks of deploying SRM against the risks associated with increasing temperatures from climate change.
• There is a severe lack of climate research funding for Africa; since 1990, only 3.8% of global climate change research has been allocated to the continent, with most funding going to the US or EU.
• In Jamaica, climate change severely impacts the tourism and agriculture sectors, which contribute 4.2% and 8% to the GDP respectively; the country's response has focused primarily on adaptation.
• Research on the South American climate response to SAI indicates it could offset increases in average and extreme temperatures, but precipitation responses are non-uniform, showing increases in the northern sector of the La Plata Basin and reductions to the south.
• The United States government has increased funding for SRM research through NOAA, allocating 4 million USD in 2020, 9 million USD in 2021, and 9 million USD in 2022.
• Current global governance for SRM is virtually non-existent, with no international body authorized to make decisions on deployment, and the Commission for Overcoming Climate Change (COC) is noted as the only existing body considering SRM.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2022). Informe Conferencia de las Américas sobre la Modificación de la Radiación Solar: Ciencia, Gobernanza e Implicaciones para la Región. https://iai.int/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IAI-Conference-Report_Esp.pdf

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Informe Conferencia de las Américas sobre la Modificación de la Radiación Solar: Ciencia, Gobernanza e Implicaciones para la Región. 2022. https://iai.int/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IAI-Conference-Report_Esp.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Informe Conferencia de las Américas sobre la Modificación de la Radiación Solar: Ciencia, Gobernanza e Implicaciones para la Región |date=August 2022 |url=https://iai.int/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IAI-Conference-Report_Esp.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2022informe, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Informe Conferencia de las Américas sobre la Modificación de la Radiación Solar: Ciencia, Gobernanza e Implicaciones para la Región}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2022}, month = aug, url = {https://iai.int/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IAI-Conference-Report_Esp.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }