Weekly Solar Geoengineering Updates (16 March - 22 March 2026)

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Mar 23, 2026, 4:08:11 PM (15 hours ago) Mar 23
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Weekly Solar Geoengineering Updates (16 March - 22 March 2026)

Weekly SRM roundup of research papers, web posts, events, jobs, projects, podcasts, videos and much more.

Mar 23
 
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1. This Week’s Top SRM Highlights
2. Research Papers
3. EGU26 SRM Papers
4. Web Posts
5. Job Opportunities
6. Upcoming Events
7. Podcasts
8. YouTube Videos

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Research Paper: Strong light absorption by sp2 hybridized carbon impurities in diamond dust (ScienceDirect)

Preprint: Is the Global South still absent from the SRM governance arena? A wake-up call in 2026 (SSRN)

Opinion Piece: Earth is Getting Darker. Here’s Why That’s Alarming (Legal Planet)

Job Opportunity: Research Laboratory Technician at Centre for Climate Repair (University of Cambridge)

Upcoming Event: Is Politically Feasible and Morally Responsible Geoengineering Possible? (Harvard University)

Video: Sunscreen for the planet by Daniele Visioni & Dakota Gruener (Works in Progress)

Read on to unpack more updates:

Stakeholder and Expert Opinion of Solar Radiation Modification in South Asia: Insights into Perceptions, Geopolitical, and Governance Concerns in Bangladesh

Authors: Md. Sadique Rahman, Fatema Sarker, Muhammad Humayun Kabir, Chad M. Baum, et al.
Synopsis: Bangladesh stakeholders show mixed views on Solar Radiation Management, balancing interest in its potential to reduce heat and boost crops with concerns over risks and uncertainty. Experts favor adaptation and nature-based solutions, while supporting further SRM research. Limited resources and geopolitical influence highlight the need for global cooperation, with national governments expected to lead governance efforts.

Spatiotemporal characteristics of aerosols and low clouds from MODIS and their implications for marine cloud brightening

Authors: Liya Niu, Chuanfeng Zhao, Haotian Zhang, Yongen Liang & Annan Chen
Synopsis: This study shows that Marine Cloud Brightening potential varies significantly across regions, with satellite data showing complex interactions between aerosols and cloud properties. While some areas like the North Pacific show favorable conditions, responses are highly variable and sometimes decoupled. The study stresses that robust MCB assessment must move beyond static analysis toward dynamic, system-level evaluation of cloud responses and climate conditions.

Strong light absorption by sp2 hybridized carbon impurities in diamond dust

Authors: Joshin Kumar, Gwan-Yeong Jung, Taveen S. Kapoor, Rohan Mishra, Rajan K. Chakrabarty
Synopsis: Diamond dust has been proposed for Stratospheric Aerosol Injection due to lower ozone and acid rain risks than sulfur aerosols. However, this study shows that impurities from detonation synthesis increase light absorption, reducing cooling efficiency. Simulations reveal these impurities can significantly lower reflectivity and even shift effects toward warming, raising concerns about diamond dust’s viability for solar geoengineering.

Is the Global South still absent from the SRM governance arena? A wake-up call in 2026 - Preprint

Authors: Yvette Ramos, Luisa Schmidt, Filipe Duarte Santos
Synopsis: Solar Radiation Management governance remains fragmented and dominated by Global North actors, with limited Global South participation despite higher climate vulnerability. This study links SRM governance to sustainable development, highlighting risks to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals if inclusivity is lacking. It calls for transparent, equitable frameworks grounded in justice principles to ensure fair decision-making and stronger international cooperation.
Strong light absorption by sp2 hybridized carbon impurities in diamond dust (Source)
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EGU26: Session CL3.1.5 - Advances in Understanding Solar Radiation Modification Technologies and their Impact on the Earth System

Research Papers

Surface temperature dependence of stratospheric sulfate aerosol clear-sky forcing and feedback
Inadvertent Tropical Rainfall Responses to Stratospheric Aerosol Injection: Disentangling Aerosol-Radiation-Precipitation Coupling in Convection-Resolving and Global Simulations
Impact of SAI on tropical cyclones in a high-resolution simulation
Does Solar Geoengineering Delay Amazon Dieback?
Chemical and climatic impacts of stratospheric aerosol injections: can aerosols with smaller infrared absorptivity reduce undesired side-effects?
De-risking cirrus management
Trajectories of Atmospheric Rivers in the Southern Hemisphere under CMIP6 and Solar Radiation Modification
From Qualitative to Quantitative: A Systematic Framework for Measuring SAI Efficacy
Beyond best-case SRM: Scenarios for a messy reality
A framework for understanding and narrowing modeling uncertainties for Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI)
Understanding the role of mean state biases in the stratospheric response to SAI
The Impact of Aerosol Size on the Efficacy of Marine Cloud Brightening
AI for Safe Climate Cooling: Deep Learning and XAI for Rapid SRM Risk Assessment
Water isotopologues as tracers of mixed-phase cloud processes at the Pi Chamber laboratory
Influence of Stratospheric Aerosol Geoengineering on Chlorophyll Concentration in the Congolese Upwelling System
Quantifying and understanding uncertainties in regional impacts of solar geoengineering
Impact of SAI on extra-tropical cyclones in a high-resolution simulation
Investigating the zero transmission problem in satellite solar occultation measurements in the context of possible stratospheric aerosol injections
Not All 1.5°C Worlds Are Equal: Mitigation versus Solar Radiation Modification
Effect of Solar Radiation Modification on Freezing Level Heights across the world
Legacy of stratospheric aerosol injection for limiting global warming

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WashU - Diamonds are not a geoengineer’s best friend

DSG - The Space to Think is Not a Luxury

Legal Planet - Earth is Getting Darker. Here’s Why That’s Alarming

Operaatio Arktis - Tipping points threaten societies

Tifi Global - Hydrological warfare? A declassified document accused the CIA of Weather Control, Poisoned Skies Sparking Fresh ‘Chemtrails’ Debate

SRM360 - Different Takes: Could SRM Be Weaponised?

nrc - Science is being very cautious, but the private company Stardust is already making serious plans to dim the sun

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Research Laboratory Technician at Centre for Climate Repair | University of Cambridge

“Centre for Climate Repair is looking to appoint a skilled technician to provide highly specialist technical support to enable the effective operation of the Centre for Climate Repair’s Marine Cloud Brightening and Stratospheric Aerosol Injection laboratories based at the Department of Engineering’s site in Central Cambridge.”

Senior Manager, Climate Tech and Innovation at FAS | Washington, DC

“The Federation of American Scientists is seeking a Senior Manager, Climate Tech and Innovation. In this role, you will play an integral role in guiding and growing FAS’ emerging program on Climate Tech and Innovation. This program focuses on building support for cutting-edge research in overlooked areas, while harnessing market and economic forces to scale high-impact environmental and climate solutions. A major initial focus of this role will be building support for responsible research into climate interventions and promoting productive, science-based dialogues around climate interventions among policymakers and in the public discourse.”

Postdoctoral Scholar – Climate Systems Engineering, Optimization, and Climate Modeling at The University of Chicago

“Professor Dorian Abbot of the University of Chicago and Assistant Professor Ashesh Chattopadhyay of the University of California, Santa Cruz invite applications for a postdoctoral position at the intersection of climate systems engineering, optimization, and AI weather and climate modeling. This position will focus on developing next-generation methodologies for the design, analysis, and optimization of climate interventions and Earth system processes using state-of-the-art machine learning, dynamical systems theory, and data-driven modeling approaches.”

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23 March | Boston - Unilateral Solar Geoengineering: A Scenario by Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies

24 March | Online - Live Discussion: Could Solar Geoengineering Prevent AMOC Collapse? by SRM360

25 March | Online - Deliberately Cooling the Planet. Could we? Should we? Would we? by RMetS

26 March | Online - Who Funds and Who Pays: The funding of solar geoengineering, 2020–2025 by HOME Alliance, the Heinrich Böll Foundation, and Geoengineering Monitor

26 March | George Washington University - Plan C for Civilization, co-presented with the George Washington University and Planet Forward

26 March | Houston, TX - Could stratospheric aerosol geoengineering help address climate change? by University of Chicago at CERAWeek (NEW)

26 March | Houston, TX - Geoengineering the Climate: Promise, peril and policy by University of Chicago at CERAWeek (NEW)

26 March | Washington, US - Engineering our Planet: From Designed Interventions to Interdisciplinary Programs and Participatory Platforms, Part I by CSPO (NEW)

26 March | Online - Climate Intervention: Effects of Stratospheric Aerosol Injection on Southern Hemisphere Extratropical Cyclones (NEW)

27 March | Online - Engineering Our Planet, Part II: Building Platforms for Geoengineering Research and Governance by CSPO (NEW)

31 March | Cambridge, US - Is Politically Feasible and Morally Responsible Geoengineering Possible? by Harvard University (NEW)

21 April | San Francisco, California - Stabilize Earth by Devonian Systems (NEW)

03-08 May | Vienna, Austria & Online - EGU26

13-15 May | University of Nottingham - IAA Planetary Sunshade Workshop by Planetary Sunshade Foundation

18 May | University of Chicago - Frontiers in Climate Systems Engineering by CSEi

28 – 29 May | Belgium - International Forum on Solar Radiation Modification Research Governance by Co-Create

02-04 June | Rwanda - The IAF Global Space Conference on Climate Change 2026 - Uniting Space and Earth for Climate Resilience

20-21 June | United States - Bridging the Knowledge Gaps in Climate Engineering with Experiments, Models, and Observations by Gordon Research Seminar

21-26 June 2026 | United States - Gordon Research Conference - Bridging Observations, Models, and Impacts in Solar Radiation Modification Research

Solar Geoengineering Events Calendar

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What We Don’t Know About Cooling the Planet — Dakota Gruener, CEO of Reflective | Inevitable & Obvious

Inevitable & Obvious
Here is the first episode of the Inevitable & Obvious podcast! I’m very excited to publish this interview with Dakota Gruener of Reflective, and I hope you find it valuable and informative. Please leave comments below if you have suggestions for guests, topics, or even formatting of the show…
6 days ago · 7 likes · 1 comment · Paul Gambill
“Stratospheric aerosol injection might be one of the only interventions that could reduce global warming on the timescales that actually matter, but we don’t yet know enough to say if it’s completely worth the potential tradeoffs, and we’re not on track to find out in time. Dakota Gruener is the founder and CEO of Reflective, an independent nonprofit trying to change that by radically accelerating the research. In this conversation, we talk about what it would take to actually evaluate SAI:
-The tools Reflective has built to map the unknowns
-The case for something like clinical trials for the atmosphere
-Why Dakota thinks the worst outcome isn’t deployment but decisions being forced before the science is ready.”

Why Money is Flowing into Geoengineering | Bloomberg Primer

“Is geoengineering a dangerous notion whose time has come? Scientists and entrepreneurs are testing radical ideas like solar radiation management and ocean fertilisation - and finding funding for it.”
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CIDER: A Climate Intervention Dynamical Emulator | Remove and Reflect Podcast

“This episode discusses the Climate Intervention Dynamical Emulator (CIDER) which is a high-speed computational tool designed to predict regional and global climate responses to Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI). While traditional Earth System Models (ESMs) are too expensive for broad scenario exploration, CIDER can rapidly simulate variables like temperature, precipitation, and sea ice at a negligible cost. The emulator is trained on existing climate data to capture how injecting sulfur dioxide at different latitudes impacts the planet over time. It is specifically capable of modeling uncoordinated deployment scenarios, where multiple independent actors might begin or terminate cooling efforts with different regional goals. Although it does not replace the complexity of full ESMs, it provides a vital platform for policy communication, education, and rapid scenario testing. Consequently, CIDER allows researchers to identify promising climate intervention strategies before committing to more intensive atmospheric simulations.”

Could Shading the Earth Stop Climate Change? | The Geoengineering Debate Explained | YitWorks

“If the world is getting too hot, why not just give it some shade? In this video, we explore the radical and highly controversial science of solar geoengineering—a proposed technological solution to global warming that aims to rapidly halt rising temperatures by reflecting the sun’s rays back into space.
Is this the emergency backup plan we need to save millions of lives, or is it a dangerous distraction that could trigger global conflict and catastrophic side effects?”

Into the Heart of the Doomsday Glacier | The Explorers Club

“On 13 March, the Explorers Club welcomes Professor David Holland, the leading polar scientist whose recent expedition aboard the Korean icebreaker RV Araon pushed into the remote waters where warm ocean currents are destabilizing the glacier from below.
Holland will share new insights from this high‑risk, high‑reward mission: navigating shifting sea ice, deploying ocean instruments in brutal conditions, and collaborating with an international team racing to understand the future of global sea‑level rise.
Expect gripping field stories, cutting‑edge science, and a clear-eyed look at the glacier often called the “Doomsday Glacier”—a place whose fate may shape coastlines for generations.
This is a night for explorers, scientists, and anyone who wants to understand the front lines of our changing planet.”

A Shadow at the End of the Tunnel | Catello Leonardo Matonti | TEDx Talks

“Catello Leonardo Matonti shares his fascinating project: a planetary sunshade designed to protect Earth from the most extreme effects of climate change. A space engineer and entrepreneur, he co-founded ASTRO Srl, a startup focused on innovative tethered satellite systems for Earth observation and maritime surveillance in the Mediterranean. As a researcher, he studies the mitigation of anthropogenic climate change from space. After graduating cum laude and winning international awards such as the Telespazio Technology Contest, he develops solar sail swarms and space solutions aligned with SDG 13 – Climate Action. Passionate about connecting humans and the environment, he transforms scientific visions into concrete projects with global impact.”

Sunscreen for the planet by Daniele Visioni & Dakota Gruener | Works in Progress

“The world is warming faster than we can cut emissions. Volcanoes are already cooling the planet, with particles that reflect sunlight. Maybe we can too.”
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