Solar Radiation Modification: Scientific evidence does not support SRM as a viable climate solution - Working Paper

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dc.contributor.approvalRecordUNEP Publication Board
dc.contributor.authorUnited Nations Environment Programme
dc.contributor.organizationOffice of Science
dc.contributor.otherHinwood, Andrea
dc.contributor.otherJabbour, Jason
dc.contributor.otherEspejo, Maria Caballero
dc.date.accessioned2026-05-08T07:51:07Z
dc.date.issued2026-05
dc.date.submitted2026-05-08
dc.descriptionAs global emissions continue to rise, interest is growing in Solar Radiation Modification (SRM) — a set of speculative methods designed to reflect sunlight and temporarily cool the Earth. Often described as a “last resort” to address the negative impacts of temperature overshoot—when global temperatures exceed agreed targets—SRM deployment could pose significant and unintended environmental and social impacts with uncertain implications for both human health and natural ecosystems. The current state of scientific knowledge does not support SRM as a viable response to climate change as it does not address the root cause of the current anthropogenic climate change. With major knowledge gaps, no global governance and high uncertainty, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) remains concerned about the viability, feasibility and potential risks of SRM, and urges caution, transparency and inclusive discussion of the topic — without diverting focus from urgent mitigation and adaptation. This Working Paper builds on and updates previous work, including UNEP’s One Atmosphere report, drawing on a May 2025 UNEP–World Meteorological Organization workshop, a September 2025 Multistakeholder consultative meeting and recent literature, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report (AR6). You can check Solar Radiation Modification: No Substitute for Real Climate Action - Issue Note at: https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/48995en
dc.description.reviewStatuspeer-reviewed
dc.description.statusAdopted
dc.formatpdf
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.59117/20.500.11822/49509
dc.identifier.isbn978-92-807-4281-7
dc.identifier.otherOoS/2763/NA
dc.identifier.urihttps://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/49509
dc.languageEnglish
dc.page.number24 p.
dc.relation.haspartSolar Radiation Modification: No Substitute for Real Climate Action - Issue Note
dc.rightsAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 IGOen
dc.rights.accessLevelPublic
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/igo/
dc.subject.sdgSDG 13 - Climate Action
dc.subject.themeclimate
dc.subject.themesolar radiation
dc.subject.themeair
dc.subject.themeaerosol
dc.subject.themegreenhouse gas emission
dc.subject.themeclimate change
dc.subject.themeozone layer
dc.subject.themewater
dc.subject.themehydrology
dc.titleSolar Radiation Modification: Scientific evidence does not support SRM as a viable climate solution - Working Paperen
dc.typeWorking paper

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