Overview

• The UK’s Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) has allocated £56.8 million to 21 geoengineering projects aimed at exploring solar radiation modification (SRM) technologies.
• Five outdoor experiments will test methods like Arctic ice thickening, cloud brightening over the Great Barrier Reef, and stratospheric material exposure, with no immediate release of particles into the environment.
• All outdoor trials will undergo public environmental impact assessments and be overseen by an independent committee chaired by climate scientist Prof. Piers Forster.
• The initiative seeks to gather critical data on whether SRM technologies can safely and feasibly delay climate tipping points while emissions reductions take effect.
• Critics warn the research could normalize controversial geoengineering methods and distract from decarbonization, citing potential unintended global consequences.