Solar radiation modification and biodiversity
Pettorelli, N., Benton, T., Williams, J., Anderson, K., McKinnon, C., Gaston, K.J., Hails, R.S., Stringer, L.C., Fish, R., Vickery, J., Norris, K. & Bridgewater, P. Bringing biodiversity into Solar Radiation Modification discussions. A report from Scientists for Biodiversity, U.K.
The world stands at a critcal crossroads in its response to a rapidly escalating environmental crisis. Climate change, biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation, and increasing pressures on natural resources are creating growing urgency to act. In this context, there is a strong temptation to look for novel interventions that promise quick and scalable results. One set of interventions that is being increasingly discussed as a potential response to global heating is Solar Radiation Modification (SRM). This report is not a comprehensive technical assessment of SRM. Instead, it sets out why biodiversity and ecosystem service risks must become central to United Kingdom (UK) and international SRM research, assessment and governance. SRM cannot be assessed only through climate and technical lenses because the assessment of the potential impacts on ecosystems is fundamental to any responsible evaluation of planetary-scale intervention.