{"672567":{"#nid":"672567","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Can Solar Geoengineering Save the World? ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe concept of solar geoengineering \u2014 blocking the sun\u0027s radiation to slow Earth\u0027s warming \u2014 is no longer just the realm of science fiction. In 2023, the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/ostp\/news-updates\/2023\/06\/30\/congressionally-mandated-report-on-solar-radiation-modification\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EU.S. government\u003C\/a\u003E and the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.unep.org\/news-and-stories\/story\/new-report-explores-issues-around-solar-radiation-modification\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EUN\u003C\/a\u003E released reports on the topic. Whether or not solar geoengineering can save the world is up for debate, and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.anthonyharding.org\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ETony Harding\u003C\/a\u003E, an assistant professor in the School of Public Policy, is contributing to the conversation.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHarding is an alumnus of the School of Economics and returned to Georgia Tech after a postdoc at Harvard University. He studies the impact of innovative technology on climate change policy and governance, focusing on solar geoengineering. In the eight years he\u0027s been researching it, Harding said it\u0027s the scale of the conversation that\u0027s changed the most: not what the researchers are speaking about, but who they\u0027re speaking to.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022A lot of people in the climate policy and academic realms were hesitant to talk about solar geoengineering, and I think that\u2019s starting to change,\u0022 Harding said. \u0022There\u0027s definitely wider acceptance of at least talking about it, and in that way, pathways to having spaces to talk about it and research funds are opening up.\u0022\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs the idea of solar geoengineering picks up steam, Harding invites everyone to join the conversation, starting with learning about what it is, how it works, and whether or not this once-niche proposition really can save the world.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EWhat is Solar Geoengineering?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe most commonly proposed method of solar geoengineering, which also goes by names such as solar radiation modification or climate intervention, uses sulfate aerosols. When injected into the Earth\u0027s stratosphere, they reflect a small amount of the sun\u0027s radiation \u2014 less than 1% \u2014 and reduce Earth\u0027s surface temperature. This option is the most popular, and the one Harding studies, because we have natural examples, he explained. Volcanoes release sulfates when they erupt, and the largest ones are strong enough to push them into the stratosphere.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022So we have evidence from the past that if sulfate aerosols make it up to the stratosphere, there\u0027s a cooling effect,\u0022 he said. \u0022This natural analog gives us a bit more belief that it\u0027s going to work at least in some of the ways we expect it to in the real world and not just on a computer.\u0022\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe other two types of solar geoengineering researchers consider most seriously are marine cloud brightening to reflect incoming sunlight and Cirrus cloud thinning to let light escape more easily. Each one has pros and cons. For example, marine cloud brightening would only occur over the deepest and darkest parts of the ocean, Harding said, \u0022which would have a non-uniform cooling effect and could lead to certain adverse outcomes. \u0022\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EStratospheric aerosol injection has a more uniform distribution and cooling effect that better mimics the warming we\u0027re experiencing. However, it comes with its own concerns, one of which is that the cooling isn\u0027t permanent.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022If something happened to stop the deployment of the aerosols, whether it was for political or technological reasons, we would bounce right back and experience a rapid heating that we\u0027ve never experienced before, and could have catastrophic impacts,\u0022 Harding said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EWhat are the Costs and Benefits of Solar Geoengineering?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis question is where Harding\u0027s research makes the most impact. As an economist, he examines the costs and benefits of solar geoengineering to highlight the tradeoffs involved. Harding has published articles on how solar geoengineering could \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/oxrep\/grad044\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Eimpact other climate change mitigation policies\u003C\/a\u003E, how it \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s41467-019-13957-x\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Eaffects income inequality\u003C\/a\u003E, and the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/14693062.2022.2091509\u0022\u003Evalue of reducing uncertainty around solar geoengineering\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Making it clear what the different tradeoffs are around climate policies is super important for informing decision-making,\u0022 he said. \u0022On one side, we have these really, at their core, basic scientific questions around whether solar geoengineering will work and if it can scale up. But it\u0027s also an interesting question from a governance and economics perspective. Solar geoengineering has global repercussions, the decision will affect the entire world. How do we develop governance structures, conversations, and inclusivity to ensure we\u0027re making a choice for the collective good?\u0022\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor example, one of the downsides of using sulfate aerosols for solar geoengineering is negative health effects. But it also has the benefit of preventing temperature-related deaths. So, how do they compare? Harding\u0027s recently submitted paper, which is not yet peer-reviewed, finds that the benefits of reduced deaths outweigh the adverse health effects of solar geoengineering \u0022by at least an order of magnitude \u2014 if not two orders of magnitude,\u0022 he said.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHarding notes that a more comprehensive comparison of risks and benefits is still required, but in the context of the two health impacts he examined, \u201cYes, it\u2019s a concern, and something we should consider, but we need to put it in perspective that the benefits are significantly greater than that negative effect.\u0022\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EWhy is Solar Geoengineering Controversial?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUncertain health outcomes? Check. What else makes solar geoengineering so controversial that \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.solargeoeng.org\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Esome academics want a ban\u003C\/a\u003E on public funding, experiments, patents, deployment, and support for the technology in international institutions?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThere is a running theme in climate conversations that discussing adaptation policies reduces the focus on cutting emissions, Harding said, and the concerns around solar geoengineering are the same: not just that it will pull research funds from mitigation efforts, but that it will pull attention from dealing with the source of the warming as well. (His 2023 paper \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/oxrep\/grad044\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Eexamines this problem.\u003C\/a\u003E)\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlthough he disagrees, others believe that researching solar geoengineering also makes it more likely that we deploy it, Harding explained. So, for those against the technology, disrupting research efforts to prevent the idea from moving further makes sense.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EWhat\u0027s Next?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs with any unfamiliar and emerging technology, questions arise, such as, will this go horribly wrong and destroy the planet? Or, will it be the solution to all of our problems?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Putting my realistic hat on, it\u0027s probably somewhere in between,\u0022 Harding said. \u0022It\u0027s always hard to predict the future, but I can propose what I think is a realistic hope for where it can go.\u0022\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHarding anticipates more research and is hopeful for continued discourse between academics and the public.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022The first and most important thing to do is make people aware of this technology and educate them about it,\u0022 Harding said. \u0022We have to understand how general people, outside of policymakers, feel about it \u2014 because that matters a lot.\u0022\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe also wants to see more serious international policy discussions around governing solar geoengineering to prevent a situation where one person or country deploys it independently. Whether it\u0027s a moratorium on its use or another agreement, international guidelines would help legitimize research without fears of a rogue actor, he explained.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EFinal Takeaway\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo package it all up into a neat little tagline, \u0022Solar geoengineering is a really new technology that could alleviate a lot of suffering in the case of climate change. But there\u0027s a lot of uncertainty, and it needs a lot more attention to quell any concerns about catastrophe,\u0022 Harding said.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022The most salient concern is that we put a lot of faith in solar geoengineering, invest a lot of resources, and slow down emissions cuts because we think we have a silver bullet. And then we get to 2080 and realize it doesn\u0027t work as expected. That\u0027s a very real concern. But the one that receives less attention is if we put solar geoengineering aside and don\u0027t spend the resources investigating it. Then we get to 2080 and realize, \u0027Wow, this technology could have worked and relieved a lot of suffering.\u0027 I think it\u0027s important to understand the flip side of that.\u0022\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAs the idea of solar geoengineering picks up steam, Tony Harding, an assistant professor in the School of Public Policy, invites everyone to join the conversation \u2014 starting with learning about what it is, how it works, and whether or not this once-niche proposition really can save the world.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"As the idea of solar geoengineering picks up steam, Harding invites everyone to join the conversation, starting with learning about what it is, how it works, and whether or not this once-niche proposition really can save the world."}],"uid":"35766","created_gmt":"2024-01-30 17:14:10","changed_gmt":"2025-07-28 18:17:20","author":"dminardi3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2024-01-30T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2024-01-30T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"677505":{"id":"677505","type":"image","title":"Untitled-design--69-.jpg","body":null,"created":"1753726615","gmt_created":"2025-07-28 18:16:55","changed":"1753726615","gmt_changed":"2025-07-28 18:16:55","alt":"Sun in blue sky","file":{"fid":"261411","name":"Untitled-design--69-.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/07\/28\/Untitled-design--69-.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/07\/28\/Untitled-design--69-.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":84505,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/07\/28\/Untitled-design--69-.jpg?itok=xRCf6wv5"}}},"media_ids":["677505"],"groups":[{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"},{"id":"1289","name":"School of Public Policy"}],"categories":[{"id":"154","name":"Environment"}],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71911","name":"Earth and Environment"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:dminardi3@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EDi Minardi\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EIvan Allen College of Liberal Arts\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["dminardi3@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}