Multi-Risk Governance of Solar Radiation Modification

Solar radiation modification (SRM) presents important challenges to risk regulation and governance, arising from the array of multiple risks that SRM may influence. SRM would not simply reverse climate change, but could pose further ancillary impacts, depending on the method of SRM, such as stratosp...

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Main Authors: Jonathan B. Wiener, Tyler Felgenhauer, Mark E. Borsuk
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press
Series:European Journal of Risk Regulation
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1867299X25100184/type/journal_article
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author Jonathan B. Wiener
Tyler Felgenhauer
Mark E. Borsuk
author_facet Jonathan B. Wiener
Tyler Felgenhauer
Mark E. Borsuk
author_sort Jonathan B. Wiener
collection DOAJ
description Solar radiation modification (SRM) presents important challenges to risk regulation and governance, arising from the array of multiple risks that SRM may influence. SRM would not simply reverse climate change, but could pose further ancillary impacts, depending on the method of SRM, such as stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI), marine cloud brightening (MCB), or a space-based planetary sunshade system (PSS). We identify multiple risks that SRM may influence, both biophysical and sociopolitical, to be compared to the multiple risks that may be affected by greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation and climate adaptation. This multi-risk framework helps analysts and decision makers identify, evaluate, and compare multiple risks holistically; helps identify affected groups to overcome problems of disregard and omitted voice; helps compare policy options and map the array of risks to corresponding (or missing) governance mechanisms; and seeks risk-superior policies that would reduce multiple risks in concert. We then examine governance frameworks: uncoordinated, coordinated and comprehensive. We suggest two key mechanisms that can help build up from uncoordinated toward more coordinated or even comprehensive approaches, and that can gain support from SRM advocates, observers and critics alike: a series of international assessments of SRM, and a transparent international monitoring system for SRM.
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spelling doaj-art-9d4c0e6dc5ba477cb788dde6dbd344722025-08-20T13:13:13ZengCambridge University PressEuropean Journal of Risk Regulation1867-299X2190-824911710.1017/err.2025.10018Multi-Risk Governance of Solar Radiation ModificationJonathan B. Wiener0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8852-3177Tyler Felgenhauer1Mark E. Borsuk2Duke Center on Risk, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA Law School, Nicholas School of the Environment, and Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA University Fellow, Resources for the Future, Washington, DC, USADuke Center on Risk, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USADuke Center on Risk, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USASolar radiation modification (SRM) presents important challenges to risk regulation and governance, arising from the array of multiple risks that SRM may influence. SRM would not simply reverse climate change, but could pose further ancillary impacts, depending on the method of SRM, such as stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI), marine cloud brightening (MCB), or a space-based planetary sunshade system (PSS). We identify multiple risks that SRM may influence, both biophysical and sociopolitical, to be compared to the multiple risks that may be affected by greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation and climate adaptation. This multi-risk framework helps analysts and decision makers identify, evaluate, and compare multiple risks holistically; helps identify affected groups to overcome problems of disregard and omitted voice; helps compare policy options and map the array of risks to corresponding (or missing) governance mechanisms; and seeks risk-superior policies that would reduce multiple risks in concert. We then examine governance frameworks: uncoordinated, coordinated and comprehensive. We suggest two key mechanisms that can help build up from uncoordinated toward more coordinated or even comprehensive approaches, and that can gain support from SRM advocates, observers and critics alike: a series of international assessments of SRM, and a transparent international monitoring system for SRM.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1867299X25100184/type/journal_articleclimate policyrisk analysisrisk governancerisk-risk tradeoffsolar radiation modification
spellingShingle Jonathan B. Wiener
Tyler Felgenhauer
Mark E. Borsuk
Multi-Risk Governance of Solar Radiation Modification
European Journal of Risk Regulation
climate policy
risk analysis
risk governance
risk-risk tradeoff
solar radiation modification
title Multi-Risk Governance of Solar Radiation Modification
title_full Multi-Risk Governance of Solar Radiation Modification
title_fullStr Multi-Risk Governance of Solar Radiation Modification
title_full_unstemmed Multi-Risk Governance of Solar Radiation Modification
title_short Multi-Risk Governance of Solar Radiation Modification
title_sort multi risk governance of solar radiation modification
topic climate policy
risk analysis
risk governance
risk-risk tradeoff
solar radiation modification
url https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1867299X25100184/type/journal_article
work_keys_str_mv AT jonathanbwiener multiriskgovernanceofsolarradiationmodification
AT tylerfelgenhauer multiriskgovernanceofsolarradiationmodification
AT markeborsuk multiriskgovernanceofsolarradiationmodification