UNGA Science Summit Session: Making well-informed decisions about solar radiation modification

As the likelihood of overshooting the Paris Agreement temperature goals increase, solar radiation modification (SRM) is being explored to temporarily limit global warming by reflecting sunlight back into space to avoid some of the risks from an overshoot.

SRM is one of the more controversial topics in climate policy. Deciding whether or not to research, develop, let alone eventually deploy SRM poses multiple questions related to potential benefits and risks – both known and unknown. To manage the emerging risks from overshooting 1.5C warming, a dedicated and formal governance framework may need to be considered to enable enhanced understanding of the risks and benefits of potential additional response options such as SRM in comparison to those of the temporary overshoot, and of gaps around related governance – without prejudice to future decisions about their deployment.

The session aims to identify the gaps in making well-informed decisions on SRM and explore how to fill in those gaps, from different perspectives including in particular an ethical perspective.

Expected outcomes:

• Increased awareness and engagement from a broad range of stakeholders on the knowledge, analytical, stakeholder engagement and institutional gaps around SRM governance, as well as on the importance to look at these issues from an ethical perspective.
• Identification of possible areas for collaboration among different actors to enable learning and capacity building to strenghen international governance around SRM.
• Identification of possible routes to strenghten international governance framework around SRM.