White House floats research on blocking sun’s rays to slow global warming

A congressionally mandated report published by the White House on Friday detailed a range of potential research options for slowing global warming during climate change. Among those options, the Biden administration has included one that would look into whether or not the government should block out some portion of sunlight — a controversial idea known as solar radiation modification (SRM). As first reported by Politico, the Biden administration said the inclusion of this potential research option in the list does not signal any policy decisions. 

“There are no plans underway to establish a comprehensive research program focused on solar radiation modification,” the White House said in a release with the report. The section in the report offers a short consideration of possible benefits of researching SRM. “A program of research into the scientific and societal implications of SRM would enable better-informed decisions about the potential risks and benefits of SRM as a component of climate policy,” the 44-page report said. “SRM offers the possibility of cooling the planet significantly on a timescale of a few years.”

Some scientists have previously criticized SRM as being potentially dangerous due to unknown side effects that may come from altering the earth’s atmosphere. Similarly, the White House report discloses the potential dangers of SRM at length, including risks to human health, biodiversity and geopolitics. But the idea has a long way to go from consideration to actual implementation.