Climate & Environment
Solar Radiation Management (SRM)
Proposed techniques to cool the planet by reflecting sunlight — powerful, cheap, untested and governance-free.
Definition
Solar radiation management refers to proposed large-scale interventions to reduce global temperatures by increasing Earth's reflectivity — most prominently stratospheric aerosol injection (releasing reflective particles into the upper atmosphere, mimicking volcanic cooling), marine cloud brightening and cirrus cloud thinning. Modelling suggests SRM could lower temperatures quickly and cheaply, but it would not stop ocean acidification, would alter regional climate and precipitation unevenly, and would require perpetual maintenance to avoid rapid rebound warming.
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