Statement from the SCoPEx Advisory Committee
In late 2023, the Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment (SCoPEx) Research Team communicated their intention to suspend the SCoPEx project. Accordingly, the SCoPEx Advisory Committee has synthesized its work to date in a final report and will conclude its work as of March 18, 2024.
Harvard University established the SCoPEx Advisory Committee to provide governance and oversight for the SCoPEx project. SCoPEx was one of the first proposed outdoor experiments to advance understanding of stratospheric chemistry and physics as they relate to solar radiation management (SRM) or solar geoengineering. Through a consensus process, the Advisory Committee developed a comprehensive framework to inform its recommendations for Harvard University. The framework considers the technical, legal, economic, and societal dimensions of the proposed experiment.
The Advisory Committee has worked alongside the Research Team as the SCoPEx project evolved. Over the course of its work, the Committee has:
As Harvard and the SCoPEx Research Team evaluate next steps, the Advisory Committee makes the following recommendations:
Harvard and the Research Team should identify and evaluate next steps in an open, transparent, and accessible manner, including identifying clear criteria and decision points for a launch and any subsequent activities.
If any flight of the project platform is to occur, the Research team should conduct an robust engagement process with the members of the local community(ies) where the launch may take place. This engagement process should, at a minimum, adhere to the engagement framework developed by the Advisory Committee.
If Harvard and/or the Research Team move forward with solar geongineering research, the University should re-establish a governance process for that work, either independently or in accordance with any accepted norms and practices, if they have been established.
