Global solar radiation management is a form of geoengineering that aims to reduce the amount of heat from the sun reaching the Earth and contributing to global warming. Stratospheric Sulfur geoengineering, is a form of Solar Radiation Management.

One of the concerns about this approach is its unintended consequences. Solar Radiation Management could be implemented by a single nation but have global consequences. As a result, there are concerns that if it were deployed by just one nation and led to bad outcomes in other countries, it could spark international conflict.

A global, collaborative effort on Solar Radiation Management would be a more legitimate way to research, develop and potentially deploy this idea. However, today, most of the research on Solar Radiation Management takes place in the US and Europe. As the Majority World is more vulnerable to the impacts of the climate emergency, they would have the most to gain if Solar Radiation Management worked well and the most to lose if it worked badly, and so have an important stake in any decision.

Whether nations will cooperate on a global effort to study, discuss and potentially deploy Solar Radiation Management is unclear, but as the risks of the climate emergency mount this idea is rising up the political agenda.

Players may tuck up to 3 Local Project cards under this card. Each tucked card must contain a new tag from the following set of tags: Geoengineering, Regulation, or Innovation.

Once per round, players may discard 0–3 of the tucked cards before they roll the Geoengineering die. Add 1 to the die’s result for every card that the players discarded.

• If the sum is 1–3, draw 2 additional unknown Crisis cards.

• If the sum is 4–5, remove 1 Temperature Band and draw 2 additional unknown Crisis cards.

• If the sum is 6–7, remove 2 Temperature Bands and draw 1 additional unknown Crisis card.

• If the sum is 8 or more, remove 2 Temperature Bands.

Important! This is a temporary effect. Return the Temperature Bands to the Thermometer at the end of the round (after increasing Energy Demand).

• Solar geoengineering (Wikipedia)

• Solar Radiation Management (SRM): Can we slow down global warming? (ClimateScience)

• Summary Why geoengineering is not a solution to the climate problem (Climate Analytics)

• New report explores issues around solar radiation modification (United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP)

• High-risk geoengineering technologies won’t reverse climate breakdown (Climate Home News)

• Study international or environmental law and you might be able to contribute to the development of international laws and regulations that govern this idea.

• Scrutinize government geoengineering plans and push back on efforts to adopt unproven technologies in place of less risky strategies that push to end fossil fuel extraction.