Wageningen, the Netherlands – Contemplating solar geoengineering as a future climate policy option could adversely affect the implementation and achievement of many interconnected Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Critically assessing this argument is the theme of the upcoming session on “Solar Geoengineering: Perspectives on Risks, Governance, and Political Challenges,” which will take place at the Science Summit during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA79) on September 23rd, from 2:00 to 6:00 PM EDT. Convened by Aarti Gupta, Professor of Global Environmental Governance, this session will bring together government representatives, civil society leaders, and scientists from around the world—both in-person in New York and virtually—to discuss a topic that may have profound global consequences.

About the Session: Exploring the Future of Solar Geoengineering Governance

This session is particularly timely given the growing interest within academic and climate policy circles in solar geoengineering, also called Solar Radiation Modification. The term refers to a set of speculative technologies that seek to artificially cool the planet by intentionally intervening in the Earth’s climate systems to reflect some incoming sunlight back into space.
This controversial topic was most recently the subject of inter-governmental discussions during the sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly in February 2024, where countries expressed different views. While some Global South countries, led by the African Group, called for a global governance mechanism to ensure the ‘non-use’ of solar geoengineering, others called for further assessment and research. No compromise was reached on this contested issue.
The session on 23 September will convene diverse speakers, including Indigenous community members, youth representatives, civil society members, leading scientists, and government officials. Together, they will explore the latest scientific and policy advancements in this rapidly evolving field and assess how solar geoengineering as a future climate policy option could adversely affect the implementation and achievement of many interconnected Sustainable Development Goals — including those relating to climate action, inequality, and inclusive and effective global governance. The session will also explore pathways for addressing these risks through effective and inclusive (restrictive) global governance mechanisms.
Attendees can look forward to a keynote address by the Honourable Ralph Regenvanu, Vanuatu’s Special Envoy for Climate Change and Environment, and Former Minister for Climate Change Adaptation, Energy, Environment, Meteorology, Geo-Hazards and Disaster Management, titled “Why a non-use mechanism on solar geoengineering is urgently needed”. The lineup of speakers also includes government and civil society representatives:

• Hibaa-Haibado Ismael H. Tani, Third Counsellor, Djibouti Embassy in Kenya (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation), Republic of Djibouti
• Philippe Maupai, Deputy Head of Division, Geopolitics of Climate Change, Climate and Security, Water Diplomacy Federal Foreign Office, Germany
• Rio Hada, Chief, Equality, Development and Rule of Law Section, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), New York Office, United States
• Panganga Pungowiyi, Climate Geoengineering Organizer, Indigenous Environmental Network, United States
• Lili Fuhr, Director of Fossil Economy Program, Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), Germany
• Heleen Bruggink, Co-Founder of Mind Our Future: Critical Youth on Solar Geoengineering, Germany

Academic speakers featured are:

• Frank Biermann, Professor of Global Sustainability Governance, Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
• Aarti Gupta, Professor of Global Environmental Governance, Wageningen University, The Netherlands
• Chukwumerije Okereke, Professor of Global Climate Governance and Public Policy, University of Bristol, United Kingdom
• Raymond Pierrehumbert, Halley Professor of Physics, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
• Carol Bardi (moderator), Researcher at the University of Münster, Germany

Join Us in New York or Online

This session offers a dynamic lineup, including keynote addresses from senior government representatives, interactive panel discussions, and presentations of the latest scientific and policy developments. Attendees will have the unique opportunity to engage directly with a diverse range of speakers, gaining insights and exchanging ideas on the rapidly evolving field of solar geoengineering governance.
We invite civil society representatives, government representatives, leading scientists, and all interested parties to join us in New York or online. To register for the session, please click here, and for more information about the Science Summit at UNGA79, click here.

Background Information Convenor
Aarti Gupta is a professor of Global Environmental Governance at Wageningen University, The Netherlands. Her research focuses on accountability and equity in global climate policy and anticipatory global governance of novel technologies, including biotechnology and climate engineering. She is a member of the Scientific Steering Committee of the international Earth System Governance Research Alliance, and a Coordinating Lead Author of its 2018 Science and Implementation Plan. She is principal investigator of the Netherlands Research Council-funded TRANSGOV project on the Transformative Potential of Transparency in Climate Governance and co-editor of Transparency in Global Environmental Governance (MIT Press). She holds a PhD from Yale University. Twitter | LinkedIn | Research Gate | Institutional Website