Techniques to reflect an additional small portion of sunlight back into space could help cool the planet if deployed globally, but they cannot address the full range of climate impacts or replace emission cuts, according to a Royal Society briefing.
Techniques to reflect an additional small portion of sunlight back into space could help cool the planet if deployed globally, but they cannot address the full range of climate impacts or replace emission cuts, according to a Royal Society briefing.
“Solar radiation modification” (SRM), published today, considers the potential impacts of SRM if deployed globally, in a scientifically informed way, across both hemispheres and for long periods of time. It evaluates its potential effectiveness, limitations, risks, and challenges with monitoring and governance. The briefing highlights major uncertainties that remain around SRM, including how much cooling it could achieve and whether it could worsen rather than ease some climate effects, particularly at a regional level.
SRM has attracted growing interest as global efforts to reduce emissions and limit warming to well below 2°C, as required by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Paris Agreement, appear increasingly unlikely to be successful. Some projections suggest we can expect temperature increases of over 3°C by 2100 under current policies. This would bring severe risks for human and natural systems, including more severe weather events such as monsoons and wildfires.
Read more at: University of Exeter
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