Climate Wire | A panel of climate experts convened by the United Nations is calling for international regulation to extend into the stratosphere.
The recommendations, detailed in a report released Monday, could help manage the risks associated with spraying solar-reflecting aerosols dozens of miles above the surface. Such stratospheric aerosol injections are largely untested and potentially harmful, but are gaining attention as an emergency measure to avert catastrophic climate change.
“This group unanimously proposes [stratospheric aerosol injection] The experts will be considered within a new broader framework for the governance of the stratosphere,” the experts wrote in a report from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).For the stratosphere. “
There is growing interest among scientists, governments, and philanthropists to study stratospheric aerosol injection (SRM), a form of solar radiation management (climate wire, February 27). Such approaches include altering the density of certain clouds, which could temporarily lower the average global temperature.
However, the field of research, also known as solar-geoengineering, remains controversial because it does not address the burning of fossil fuels, a major cause of climate change, and can lead to unintended consequences. For example, releasing aerosols into the stratosphere can damage the ozone layer. The ozone layer protects people and the planet from the sun’s cancer-causing ultraviolet rays.
The UNEP report was prepared by Govindasamy Bala, Professor of Atmospheric and Marine Sciences at the Indian Institute of Science, and eight independent experts from around the world.
They urged international leaders not only to adopt stratospheric regulation, but to support additional research on SRM. Experts also suggest that leaders consider establishing a regulatory framework that distinguishes between small-scale experiments and large-scale interventions in the global climate system.
UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen cautioned against the latter’s intervention in a forwarding to the report.
“Even as a temporary response option, large-scale SRM deployment is fraught with scientific uncertainties and ethical issues. There is no evidence base for making informed decisions,” she said. is writing “We only have one atmosphere. We cannot risk doing more damage with poorly understood shortcuts to repairing the damage already done.”
David Fahey, director of NOAA’s Institute of Chemical Sciences, was the only US government official to assist co-authors of the report. Experts said the UN secretary-general held a two-day formal meeting last May to prepare for a potential General Assembly discussion on the issue, he said.
However, the UN General Assembly did not address SRM at its meeting last fall. The UNEP report was then produced in “a significant number of Zoom calls,” Fahey told his E&E News.
So far, Sweden is the only country addressing issues related to the stratosphere, he pointed out. Rejected the proposed test in the stratosphere.
“They tried to build a structure, but it’s really hard,” Fahey said. “I am very interested in seeing these conclusions gain momentum at the United Nations and in individual countries.”
Reprinted from E&E News with permission of POLITICO, LLC. Copyright 2023. E&E News provides essential news for energy and environmental professionals.
