{"id":48698,"date":"2023-06-12T09:00:16","date_gmt":"2023-06-12T08:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.climatechangenews.com\/?p=48698"},"modified":"2023-06-09T17:00:40","modified_gmt":"2023-06-09T16:00:40","slug":"overshoot-commission-solar-radiation-management","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.climatechangenews.com\/2023\/06\/12\/overshoot-commission-solar-radiation-management\/","title":{"rendered":"The Overshoot Commission is talking about solar geoengineering. Not everyone thinks it should"},"content":{"rendered":"

When a group of leaders set out to discuss how to reduce the risks of overshooting the 1.5C climate goal, they were asked to examine one of the most controversial technologies to cool the planet: solar geoengineering.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Their recommendations could have broad influence on how the world considers the technology. For some insiders, it\u2019s been uncomfortable. For critics, it\u2019s seriously problematic. The Overshoot Commission<\/a> was set up last year to discuss accelerating emissions cuts, helping the world adapt to climate change, carbon dioxide removal and solar geoengineering.<\/p>\n

The idea of blocking the sun\u2019s warming effect by pumping aerosols into the high atmosphere \u2013 a technology known as solar radiation management (SRM) \u2013 was once of the realm of science fiction.<\/p>\n

But as global efforts to reduce emissions fall short, solar geoengineering is attracting growing attention as a potential cheap and fast solution to relieve the world from extreme heat. However, the technology carries major uncertainties and risks<\/a>, which are not well understood.<\/p>\n

A moral hazard<\/h3>\n

SRM won\u2019t protect the planet from rising greenhouse gases but only temporarily offset some of the warming caused by climate change \u2013 acting as a band aid rather than a cure.<\/p>\n

Opponents argue it is a distraction from addressing the root causes of climate change and offers polluters an avenue to avoid taking climate action.<\/p>\n

Rich world\u2019s leaders<\/strong> fail to commit to Paris global financing summit<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Frank Biermann is a professor of Global Sustainability Governance at Utrecht University, who opposes the technology and gave the commission a 10-minute online presentation.<\/p>\n

He fears the group, which was initiated by geoengineering researchers, was set up \u201cto put SRM as an option on the table\u201d and \u201cbuild its global legitimacy\u201d.<\/p>\n

Several young people selected to engage with the commission told Climate Home about feeling used to give legitimacy to the technology.<\/p>\n