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UK Approves £50M Solar Geoengineering Trials to Combat Climate Change

The experiments will test aerosol injection and marine cloud brightening under strict safety protocols as concerns over risks and necessity grow.

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Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks to reporters while arriving at the Capitol Hill Club for a meeting of the House Republican Conference on March 25, 2025 in Washington, D.C.
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Overview

  • The UK government has allocated £50 million for Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA)-backed trials to explore solar geoengineering methods.
  • Proposed techniques include stratospheric aerosol injection to reflect sunlight and marine cloud brightening to enhance cloud reflectivity.
  • Professor Mark Symes of ARIA emphasized that all experiments will be 'safe by design,' with limits on duration, reversibility, and no toxic releases.
  • Critics warn of potential unintended effects, including altered weather patterns, ozone depletion, and distraction from emission reduction efforts.
  • The trials aim to provide real-world data on geoengineering's feasibility as a temporary climate intervention to avoid tipping points while decarbonization progresses.