Any plans to dim the Sun and cool the Earth must be led by those most affected by climate change

The authors argue that because emissions reductions alone cannot prevent catastrophic ice loss and sea level rise due to 'locked in' CO2, temporary solar radiation management is necessary. They propose two methods: stratospheric aerosol injection and marine cloud brightening, the latter being more easily reversible and regional. To ensure justice and safety, the authors contend that leadership over research and deployment must shift to the global south, potentially through new research centres and inter-governmental coordination via bodies like UNEP, the African Union, and ASEAN.

• Emissions reductions alone are insufficient to prevent catastrophic outcomes because between 15% and 40% of CO2 emissions will remain in the atmosphere for over 1,000 years, meaning significant climate change is already 'locked in'. This would lead to massive ice loss in the Arctic and Antarctica, sea level rise, and the creation of hundreds of millions of climate refugees.
• Two primary solar radiation management approaches are identified: stratospheric aerosol injection, which involves releasing reflective particles into the upper atmosphere to cool the globe for several years, and marine cloud brightening, which uses ships to generate sea spray to create more reflective clouds. Marine cloud brightening is presented as more acceptable to policymakers because it is easier to 'turn off' and can be deployed regionally.
• The authors advocate for a governance model where those most affected by climate change lead the research and deployment decisions. Proposed mechanisms include establishing research centres in the global south, co-hosting exchanges through the UN’s environment programme (UNEP), and involving regional bodies like the African Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
• Real-world applications of solar radiation management have already been attempted on a small scale, including cloud seeding and glacier protection in China, painting a mountain white in Peru to protect a glacier, and plans for cloud brightening at Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

APA

Fitzgerald, E. H. S. (2022). Any plans to dim the Sun and cool the Earth must be led by those most affected by climate change. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/any-plans-to-dim-the-sun-and-cool-the-earth-must-be-led-by-those-most-affected-by-climate-change/

Chicago

Fitzgerald, Elil Hoole, Shaun. Any plans to dim the Sun and cool the Earth must be led by those most affected by climate change. World Economic Forum, 2022. https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/any-plans-to-dim-the-sun-and-cool-the-earth-must-be-led-by-those-most-affected-by-climate-change/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Fitzgerald |first1=Elil Hoole, Shaun |title=Any plans to dim the Sun and cool the Earth must be led by those most affected by climate change |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=8 April 2022 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/any-plans-to-dim-the-sun-and-cool-the-earth-must-be-led-by-those-most-affected-by-climate-change/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{fitzgerald2022any, author = {Fitzgerald, Elil Hoole, Shaun}, title = {{Any plans to dim the Sun and cool the Earth must be led by those most affected by climate change}}, publisher = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2022}, month = apr, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/any-plans-to-dim-the-sun-and-cool-the-earth-must-be-led-by-those-most-affected-by-climate-change/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }