Opinion on solar radiation modification – Ethical perspectives

In the context of the European Commission’s work to further the European
Green Deal, Executive Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič requested the
European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE) to issue
a series of three Opinions providing ethical perspectives on different aspects
of the green transition.
The Scoping Considerations provided by the Vice-President note that the
questions raised by what has been referred to as the triple planetary crisis
(climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution) and the policy responses to
these questions are deeply ethical. They concern the relationship between
humans and the environment, our responsibility vis-à-vis nature on which
life on Earth depends, and human action, today and in future, to tackle one
of the greatest challenges that humanity has faced. The advice sought from
the EGE concerns our relationship with and our responsibilities towards
nature and towards each other, now and in the future.
This first of the three Opinions discusses Solar Radiation Modification
(SRM). In the context of accelerated global warming, the option of
deliberate large-scale intervention in the Earth’s natural systems – often
referred to as ‘geoengineering’ or ‘climate intervention’ (of which SRM is an
example) is attracting more attention. It involves multiple known and
unknown risks at several levels. This Opinion provides broad ethical and
policy-related reflections on different aspects and phases of SRM, from
research and development to potential future deployment. The viewpoints
provided also feed into the discussions of geoengineering more broadly.