Shaping SRM Research for a Shared Future

​The world is not on track to meet the Paris Agreement goals, and the consequences are already unfolding disproportionately across the Global South. Rising temperatures are accelerating drought, land degradation, and biodiversity loss—undermining development gains and deepening inequality. At the same time, international climate finance is falling short, and countries on the frontlines remain under-equipped to adapt.

​In response, a growing number of scientists are exploring whether solar radiation modification (SRM)—a set of proposed interventions to reflect a small fraction of sunlight back into space—could reduce the harms of near-term warming. SRM may offer temporary relief from some of the worst climate risks, but also poses serious environmental and geopolitical questions. Whether and how this research proceeds is a matter of urgent global importance.

​This interactive workshop, co-hosted by the Degrees Initiative and Reflective during New York Climate Week, will bring together policymakers and researchers to discuss the current state of SRM research, explore tools that enable deeper regional analysis, and ensure that the Global South plays a central role in the evaluation and governance of SRM.

SESSION FORMAT:
This will be a highly interactive session using the Reflective simulator. Participants will be broken into different groups, each representing a different geography, and then will try to design SRM strategies to meet regional climate policy goals. Tables will need to build coalitions for their proposed SRM scenarios, and participants will engage directly with the risks, trade-offs, and governance challenges of a world considering SRM as a response to rising temperatures.