"The big picture: Solar radiation management - reflecting more of the sun's energy back into space - is a subset of geoengineering that's shifting from fringe science and conspiracy theory into mainstream policy debate. How it works: Solar radiation management, or solar geoengineering, aims to cool the planet by reflecting sunlight. The most-discussed method involves injecting sulfuric-acid particles into the upper atmosphere, mimicking the cooling effect of volcanic eruptions."
"But he emphasized there's still an outlier chance of especially dire consequences driven in part by tipping points - scenarios in which warming triggers reinforcing feedbacks, or secondary effects, which accelerate climate change. You "would then need to reach for some other type of intervention," Gates said. When asked whether that meant geoengineering - and whether he would support its deployment in such a scenario - Gates replied: "Yes, I've been a funder of trying to understand geoengineering.""
Solar radiation management (solar geoengineering) aims to cool the planet by reflecting sunlight back into space. The leading proposal injects sulfuric-acid particles into the upper atmosphere to mimic volcanic cooling. Research is gaining mainstream policy attention and attracts significant philanthropic funding, including support for Harvard University's solar geoengineering program. Proponents emphasize research separate from deployment and argue knowledge could be valuable in case of catastrophic climate tipping points that create reinforcing feedbacks. Critics raise two major objections: potential political effects that could undermine mitigation efforts and uncertainties about side effects and global governance of deployment.
Read at Axios
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