This is the first federally coordinated US effort of this type. Funding and research into the feasibility, benefits, and risks of such interventions could be set in motion. As global temperatures rise, the perception thatgeoengineering is an appropriate and important area of research may change.
There are a variety of approaches to solargeoengineering. Planes or balloons are used to scatter tiny particles in the sky. In theory, these would reflect back enough sunlight to make it less warm. Some research groups have looked into the possibility of releasing particles that could break up clouds that trap heat against the Earth.
President Biden signed the federal appropriations act in March of this year that directs his Office of Science and Technology Policy to develop a group to coordinate research on climate interventions.
The group should create a research framework to give guidance on transparency, engagement, and risk management for publicly funded work in solargeoengineering research. It directs the Office of Science and Technology Policy to support the development of a five-year plan that will define research goals, assess the potential hazard of climate interventions, and evaluate the level of federal investments required to carry out that work.
Some scientists think thatgeoengineering should remain taboo. There are questions about the impact of the project on the environment in different parts of the world. It is not clear how the world will deal with tricky questions regarding global governance, such as who should make decisions about whether to deploy powerful tools and what global average temperatures we should aim for. The need to address the underlying causes of climate change feels less urgent if we just talk about the possibility of geoengineering, according to some people.
As the threat of climate change grows and major nations fail to make rapid progress on emissions, more researchers, universities, and nations are seriously examining the potential effects of these approaches. A number of prominent scientific groups have called for tighter standards to guide that work, more money to do it, or both. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommended last year to set up a US solargeoengineering research program with an initial investment of $100 million to $200 million.
Proponents of research say we should explore these possibilities because they may meaningfully reduce the dangers of climate change. Climate interventions may be one of the few ways to quickly ease widespread human suffering as extreme events become more frequent.
Under the federal funding bill, the Office of Science and Technology Policy created an Interagency Working Group. The Department of Energy is one of the research and mission agencies represented.
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