WEEKLY SUMMARY (11 DECEMBER - 17 DECEMBER 2023) <https://substack.com/app-link/publications/1945767/drafts/cb34af50-1488-493d-b9c5-3ba1225e79c6?publication_id=1945767&post_id=139893199&utm_source=post-email-title&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=false>Links to recent scientific papers, web posts, upcoming events, job opportunities, podcasts, and event recordings, etc. on Solar Radiation Management Technology.
*Subscribe to Solar Geoengineering Updates Substack here:* Thanks for reading Solar Geoengineering Updates! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Pledge your support <https://solargeoengineeringupdates.substack.com/subscribe?utm_source=test&utm_campaign=email-checkout&next=https%3A%2F%2Fsolargeoengineeringupdates.substack.com%2Fpublish%2Fpost%2F139893199&utm_medium=email&utm_source=subscribe-widget-preamble&utm_content=139893199> FUNDING REQUESTMarine Cloud Rebrightening Project by Rebrighten.org <https://groups.google.com/g/geoengineering/c/gbM7leIGbeY> <https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3bfc24b2-bb26-4f59-bd8b-fbb078f22b57_960x540.png> ------------------------------ RESEARCH PAPERSChanges in apparent temperature and PM2.5 around the Beijing–Tianjin megalopolis under greenhouse gas and stratospheric aerosol intervention scenarios <https://esd.copernicus.org/articles/14/989/2023/> Wang, J., Moore, J. C., & Zhao, L. (2023). Changes in apparent temperature and PM 2.5 around the Beijing–Tianjin megalopolis under greenhouse gas and stratospheric aerosol intervention scenarios. *Earth System Dynamics*, *14*(5), 989-1013.*Abstract*Apparent temperature (AP) and ground-level aerosol pollution (PM2.5) are important factors in human health, particularly in rapidly growing urban centers in the developing world. We quantify how changes in apparent temperature – that is, a combination of 2 m air temperature, relative humidity, surface wind speed, and PM2.5 concentrations – that depend on the same meteorological factors along with future industrial emission policy may impact people in the greater Beijing region. Four Earth system model (ESM) simulations of the modest greenhouse emissions RCP4.5 (Representative Concentration Pathway), the “business-as-usual” RCP8.5, and the stratospheric aerosol intervention G4 geoengineering scenarios are downscaled using both a 10 km resolution dynamic model (Weather Research and Forecasting, WRF) and a statistical approach (Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project – ISIMIP). We use multiple linear regression models to simulate changes in PM2.5 and the contributions meteorological factors make in controlling seasonal AP and PM2.5. WRF produces warmer winters and cooler summers than ISIMIP both now and in the future. These differences mean that estimates of numbers of days with extreme apparent temperatures vary systematically with downscaling method, as well as between climate models and scenarios. Air temperature changes dominate differences in apparent temperatures between future scenarios even more than they do at present because the reductions in humidity expected under solar geoengineering are overwhelmed by rising vapor pressure due to rising temperatures and the lower wind speeds expected in the region in all future scenarios. Compared with the 2010s, the PM2.5 concentration is projected to decrease by 5.4 µg m−3 in the Beijing–Tianjin province under the G4 scenario during the 2060s from the WRF downscaling but decrease by 7.6 µg m−3 using ISIMIP. The relative risk of five diseases decreases by 1.1 %–6.7 % in G4, RCP4.5, and RCP8.5 using ISIMIP but has a smaller decrease (0.7 %–5.2 %) using WRF. Temperature and humidity differences between scenarios change the relative risk of disease from PM2.5 such that G4 results in 1 %–3 % higher health risks than RCP4.5. Urban centers see larger rises in extreme apparent temperatures than rural surroundings due to differences in land surface type, and since these are also the most densely populated, health impacts will be dominated by the larger rises in apparent temperatures in these urban areas. *A Quasi-Linear Relationship between Planetary Outgoing Longwave Radiation and Surface Temperature in a Radiative-Convective-Transportive Climate Model of a Gray Atmosphere <https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00376-023-2386-1>* Sun, J., Secor, M., Cai, M., & Hu, X. (2024). A Quasi-Linear Relationship between Planetary Outgoing Longwave Radiation and Surface Temperature in a Radiative-Convective-Transportive Climate Model of a Gray Atmosphere. *Advances in Atmospheric Sciences*, *41*(1), 8-18.*Abstract*In this study, we put forward a radiative-convective-transportive energy balance model of a gray atmosphere to examine individual roles of the greenhouse effect of water vapor, vertical convection, and atmospheric poleward energy transport as well as their combined effects for a quasi-linear relationship between the outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) and surface temperature (*TS*). The greenhouse effect of water vapor enhances the meridional gradient of surface temperature, thereby directly contributing to a quasi-linear OLR- *TS* relationship. The atmospheric poleward energy transport decreases the meridional gradient of surface temperature. As a result of the poleward energy transport, tropical (high-latitude) atmosphere-surface columns emit less (more) OLR than the solar energy input at their respective locations, causing a substantial reduction of the meridional gradient of the OLR. The combined effect of reducing the meridional gradients of both OLR and surface temperature by the poleward energy transport also contributes to the quasi-linear OLR-*TS* relationship. Vertical convective energy transport reduces the meridional gradient of surface temperature without affecting the meridional gradient of OLR, thereby suppressing part of the reduction to the increasing rate of OLR with surface temperature by the greenhouse effect of water vapor and poleward energy transport. Because of the nature of the energy balance in the climate system, such a quasi-linear relationship is also a good approximation for the relationship between the annual-mean net downward solar energy flux at the top of the atmosphere and surface temperature. Assessment of Global Warming and of Mitigation Methods Using Albedo Enhancement from Algae, Cloud, and Land <https://www.mdpi.com/2225-1154/11/3/62/pdf?version=1698835102> Lightburn, Kenneth D. "Can a Symbolic Mega-Unit of Radiative Forcing (RF) Improve Understanding and Assessment of Global Warming and of Mitigation Methods Using Albedo Enhancement from Algae, Cloud, and Land (AEfACL)?." *Climate* 11.3 (2023): 62.AbstractBy expressing radiative forcing (RF) in a symbolic mega-unit we better communicate, to governing organizations and the public, the extent of global warming (GW) and the potency of mitigation methods while also ‘translating’ different GW measures to better explain their interrelationship. An easily visualized symbol that has been suggested is the net shading, or mega-unit, of RF of a “standard 1 km2 cumulus cloud over one day of −25 W/m2” (ScCd). As defined, ScCd is equal to 600,000 kWh and equivalent to Temporary heat radiation Equivalent Carbon (ThrEC) of 18,400 tons of carbon heat effect, or 67,300 tons of CO2 and an approximately 0.136 albedo increase, over 1 km2. Shading over the whole earth caused by clouds is estimated by NASA as −13 W/m2. The excess of solar radiation or Earth Energy Imbalance (EEI) striking the earth was + 1.12 W/m2 in mid-2019 and has been continually increasing. Offsetting this requires the creation of additional reflective surfaces equivalent to 22.848 million square kilometers of ScCd. Such an increase could be provided by albedo enhancement from algae on the ocean surface, marine cloud brightening (MCB) or new marine cloud creation, or land area use that rejuvenates salt flats and similar locations (AEfACL). These are potentially politically acceptable and eventually could be achieved at large enough scale to be effective globally. A Numerical Modeling Study on the Earth’s Surface Brightening Effect of Cirrus Thinning <https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/202312.0733/v1> Shi, X., Liu, Y., & Liu, J. (2023). A Numerical Modeling Study on the Earth’s Surface Brightening Effect of Cirrus Thinning.AbstractCirrus thinning, as one kind of geoengineering approach, not only cools our planet but also enhances the amount of sunlight reaching Earth's surface (brightening effect). This study delves into the brightening effect induced by cirrus thinning with a flexible seeding method. The thinning of only cirrus clouds results in a considerable globally averaged cooling effect (−2.46 W m−2), along with a notable globally averaged brightening effect (2.19 W m−2). Cirrus thinning also results in substantial reductions in the cloud radiative effects of the lower mixed-phase and liquid clouds. While these reductions counteract the cooling effect from cirrus clouds, they enhance the brightening effect from cirrus clouds. Consequently, the brightening effect caused by cirrus seeding (4.69 W m−2) is considerably more potent than its cooling effect (−1.21 W m−2). Furthermore, due to the more pronounced changes from the mixed-phase and liquid clouds at low- and mid-latitudes, the cooling effect is primarily concentrated at high latitudes. In contrast, the brightening effect is significantly stronger over most low- and mid-latitude regions. Overall, cirrus thinning could lead to a notable brightening effect, which can be leveraged to offset the dimming effect (the opposite of brightening effect) of other geoengineering approaches. Governing Emerging Solar Geoengineering: A Role for Risk-Risk Evaluation? <https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/article/913651/summary> McLaren, D. (2023). Governing Emerging Solar Geoengineering: A Role for Risk-Risk Evaluation?. *Georgetown Journal of International Affairs*, *24*(2), 234-243.AbstractIn the face of rapid global heating, ideas of solar geoengineering are receiving increased attention. Yet the governance of such risky emerging technologies is poorly explored. Here I examine how the risks involved in solar geoengineering might be assessed in the context of climate risks in two different models of risk management: the technocratic, and the securitized. I show that neither model alone provides a sufficient foundation for a meaningful ‘risk-risk’ assessment, and suggest a need for better defined, yet broad scope, symmetric assessments using worst-case as well as idealised scenarios, taking into account risks in research and development as well as deployment, and considering the social distribution of risks. I conclude that effective anticipatory and ethical risk assessment may usefully supplement, but cannot replace democratic political judgements on responses to climate change. Developing Proposals for Ethically Informed Operational Guidelines for Climate Engineering Technologies <https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-50154-8_4> Brooks, L., Cannizzaro, S., Bhalla, N., & Richardson, K. (2023, December). Developing Proposals for Ethically Informed Operational Guidelines for Climate Engineering Technologies. In *IFIP Joint Working Conference on the Future of Digital Work: The Challenge of Inequality* (pp. 28-49). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.AbstractIt is generally acknowledged in the 21st century that climate change and hence climate engineering (CE) is one of the biggest issues facing the planet. If we cannot get this under control, in some way, then the future looks very bleak. As Latour says, the issue is both political and ecological, and some people prefer to look away and deny climate change [1 <https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-50154-8_4#ref-CR1>]. In this paper, we aim to look at climate engineering technologies from an ethical viewpoint and develop a set of proposals for possible re-engineering of existing guidelines (the Tollgate Principles [2 <https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-50154-8_4#ref-CR2>]) in the light of these ethics values and principles. <https://esd.copernicus.org/articles/14/989/2023/> ------------------------------ WEB POSTSHarvard awards two Degrees scientists groundbreaking funding for SRM research <https://www.degrees.ngo/harvard-awards-two-degrees-scientists-groundbreaking-funding-for-srm-research/> (The Degrees Initiative)Unlocking Climate Secrets: The Hidden Physics Behind Temperature and Radiation <https://scitechdaily.com/unlocking-climate-secrets-the-hidden-physics-behind-temperature-and-radiation/> (Sci-Tech Daily)Harvard CID Announces Recipients of 2023 GEM Incubation Fund, Supporting Climate Research and Policy Impact in Developing Countries <https://www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/cid/voices/2023-gem-incubation-fund-award-recipients> (Harvard University)Cornell Climate Engineering Group - what happened in 2023 <http://dan-visioni.github.io/files/2023_Lab_Report.pdf> (Cornell University)'Forcing' the issue—Make Sunsets' raison d'etre, namely to shift the narrative surrounding solar radiation management <https://www.keepcool.co/p/forcing-the-issue> (Keep Cool) [image: Surface Temperature and Outgoing Longwave Radiation] <https://scitechdaily.com/unlocking-climate-secrets-the-hidden-physics-behind-temperature-and-radiation/> ------------------------------ THESESColonizing the climate?: A decolonial critical analysis of the global scientific discourse on solar geoengineering <https://studenttheses.uu.nl/handle/20.500.12932/45641>Effect of stratospheric aerosol injection strategy on radiative forcing and precipitation <https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/89061#> ------------------------------ REPORTSGeoengineering Solutions: Should such technologies be used to help curb climate change? <https://cqpress.sagepub.com/cqresearcher/report/geoengineering-solutions-cqresrre20231201?tab=Pro%2FCon> <https://cqpress.sagepub.com/cqresearcher/report/geoengineering-solutions-cqresrre20231201?tab=Pro%2FCon> ------------------------------ JOB OPPORTUNITIESProgrammes Officer at The Degrees Initiative | Remote within the United Kingdom <https://www.degrees.ngo/job-opportunity-hiring-a-new-programmes-officer/> *“The Degrees Initiative is a UK-based charity that builds the capacity of developing countries to evaluate solar radiation modification (SRM) climate engineering, a controversial proposal for reducing some of the impacts of climate change. The Degrees Initiative is neutral on whether SRM should ever be used, but we believe that developing countries should be empowered to conduct their own research and to play a central role in SRM discussions. The initiative has been registered as a UK charity since 2021, but it has been operating for ten years as the Solar Radiation Management Governance Initiative (SRMGI) and its work has received widespread acclaim.”* UCL Earth Sciences Ph.D. scholarship | Application Deadline: 29 January 2023 <https://www.ucl.ac.uk/earth-sciences/news/2023/dec/ucl-earth-sciences-phd-scholarship> *“UCL Earth Sciences is engaged in world-class research into the processes at work on and within the Earth and other planets. The department has strong links with resources and hazard risk industries, with most graduates finding employment within academia or geoscience-related industries. Awardees are free to engage in research in any Geoscience-related field from the surface to the core, from Earth to planets. The primary advisor must be an academic staff member of UCL Earth Science. Candidates should contact potential primary advisors to discuss potential projects. The research interests of potential supervisors are listed on the Dept webpages (follow the links to the webpages of academic staff members). Secondary advisors can be outside the Earth Sciences Department, but have to be affiliated UCL with the University of London.**Candidates can outline their own projects with the guidance of potential supervisors, and/or focus on a project suggested by them. The details of the project can be further developed after the application deadline; only a very brief outline needs to be included in the application statement. Projects can potentially be changed after the award has been issued, with permission of the Department.”* ------------------------------ PODCASTSBabbage: Geoengineering, something new under the sun | Economist Podcasts <https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/babbage-geoengineering-something-new-under-the-sun/id151230264?i=1000638471416> *“The kind of emissions reductions promised in this week’s sweeping COP28 agreement will not suffice to meet the most ambitious climate goals. So other plans to slow the warming are coming to the fore. Solar geoengineering—modifying the amount of Earth’s incoming sunlight—is a once-fringe idea that is at last being taken seriously. It is a strategy with considerable promise, and considerable potential risks.**Host: Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor. Contributors: Rachel Dobbs, The Economist’s climate correspondent; Oliver Morton, a senior editor at The Economist; Douglas MacMartin, a geoengineering researcher at Cornell University; and Shuchi Talati, who leads the Alliance for Just Deliberation on Solar Geoengineering.”* David Keith on Climate Systems Engineering | Challenging Climate <https://www.challengingclimate.org/1873533/14123088> *“David Keith is a Professor in the Department of Geophysical Sciences at the University of Chicago and the Founding Faculty Director of the Climate Systems Engineering initiative. Keith previously led the development of Harvard’s Solar Geoengineering Research Program.**In this episode, we discuss Keith’s Climate Systems Engineering initiatives, carbon dioxide removal (CDR) and geoengineering techniques. Drawing on David’s decades of expertise, we dive deep into topics such as CDR, solar geoengineering, ice sheet geoengineering.”* Ethics of Volcano Geoengineering - Cassidy | Reviewer 2 does geoengineering Ethics of Volcano Geoengineering - Cassidy Reviewer 2 does geoengineering 1:03:54 <https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ethics-of-volcano-geoengineering-cassidy/id1529459393?i=1000638423140&uo=4> *“Should the army be allowed to blow people up with a volcano? If your geothermal power plant triggers an eruption, is that just a risk of doing business? Should we fiddle with volcanoes to make them safer? Is even researching this opening a can of worms? Gideon Futurman interviews Michael Cassidy (giving @geoengineering1 a month long editing nightmare, but with results we hope you'll like).**Paper: The Ethics of Volcano Geoengineering, Michael Cassidy, Anders Sandberg, Lara Mani: https://doi.org/10.1029/2023EF003714 <https://doi.org/10.1029/2023EF003714>”* YOUTUBE VIDEOS What is your perspective about Solar Radiation Modification? | SRM Youth Watch <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c8yHfHdPvQ> *“Irfan Ullah shares why young people's involvement in discussions on solar radiation modification and its governance is crucial. **Irfan Ullah is the Founder of Sustainability Week Pakistan. He has a Joint master's degree in Geography of Environmental Risk and Human Security from the United Nations University; Institute of Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS), and University of Bonn, Germany. He is also a SilverLining International Strategy Fellow.”* The sociotechnical dynamics of negative emissions, carbon removal, and solar geoengineering | Policy Studies Organization <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05lx7K5jNXM>Climate Interventions – Mad or not? Why Nordics Should Take Lead – Operaatio Arktis @COP28 | Operaatio Arktis <https://www.youtube.com/live/IZfOUeeqIGU?si=Dj3WUdCa5SQMQmtY> <https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3306d525-85fd-4e19-8807-899ef31c5b3a_720x392.png> *“Climate Interventions are necessary if we are to stay below 1.5 °C and avoid crossing multiple earth system tipping points. The severe and irreversible threats from crossing these tipping points pose a great challenge for near-term climate policy. Yet, Climate Interventions are largely dismissed in policy making and under-researched in academia. Many uncertainties about Climate Interventions remain, but there is still a significant chance of preventing major climate impacts and collapses in Earth systems with these measures. **Marianne Hagen (UArctic) and Dr. Shaun Fitzgerald OBE FREng (Cambridge University) join youth-led activist group Operaatio Arktis to discuss the role of Nordic countries in solar radiation management and ice sheet conservation research, development and their governance. Join us as we delve into a new way of looking at climate action and open a necessary conversation with the young generation’s voice at the center.”* *What are your findings on stratospheric aerosol injection's impact on malaria in South India |* SRM Youth Watch <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-_vTbsBJpQ> *“Varisha Khan shares insights into her research findings on the impact of stratospheric aerosol injection on malaria in South India.**Varisha Khan is an MSc student of Health Informatics working as a Research Associate under a project at COMSATS University, Islamabad. The institute has a leading team devoted to climate action in the context of geoengineering, focusing on the Global South. Varisha’s goal is to scrutinise the “Trade-off Based Impacts of SRM on Malaria Distribution across South Asia, particularly Pakistan”.”* Crispus Mwemaho: An Insightful Perspective on Solar Radiation Modification Research and Governance | SRM Youth Watch <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amnTnF7Kzow> *“Crispus Mwemaho a climate activist and founder of Kampala Climate Cafe shares his perspectives on Solar Radiation Modification Research and governance during a recent interview with SRM YW.”* C2GTalk: Why is it important to uphold ethics in the research on solar radiation modification? | C2G Carnegie Climate Governance Initiative <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWzcTvqWmko> *“More research is needed to explore all aspects of solar radiation modification, including the technology and its impact on society, says the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) assistant director-general Gabriela Ramos. It is important to build public trust in the research by engaging a wide and inclusive cross-section of society, including people from the arts and humanities. **Gabriela Ramos is the Assistant Director-General for the Social and Human Sciences of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), where she oversees the institution's contributions to building inclusive societies. Her mandate includes tackling economic inequalities of income and opportunity, and promoting social inclusion and gender equality. She also oversees the youth support agenda, promotion of values through sport, fight against racism and discrimination, and ethics of science, including of neurotechnology and the internet of things. She has overseen the development and adoption of the first global instrument to promote the ethics of artificial intelligence, adopted by acclamation in 2021 by UNESCO's General Conference. She also launched the Global Forum against Racism, to catalyse the political support that member countries have given to this cause. On gender, she has advanced several initiatives, particularly to combat gender stereotypes and biases, including in new technologies.”* *What is X-risk and how does solar radiation modification become relevant in this field? | SRM Youth Watch* <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DExwQTomIW8> *“Trisha Patel explains what X-risk is and how solar radiation modification become relevant in the field at the launch event of SRM YW during New York Climate Week. **Trisha Patel holds an MSc in Climate Change and Sustainable Development and is a research associate for a Degrees Initiative project exploring the impacts of SRM on human health and biodiversity. In tandem, she's a fellow with the Existential Risk Alliance, investigating the interplay between SRM and global catastrophic risk. Trisha has published on SRM in South Africa, the geopolitics of SRM and public perceptions of climate change. In her free time, she draws abstract art and is an avid reader of sci-fi novels.”* America Wants to Block the Sun: Is US Playing with Fire? | Vantage with Palki Sharma | Firstpost <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6_PSNG7GuU> *“America Wants to Block the Sun: Is US Playing with Fire? | Vantage with Palki Sharma**The Biden administration wants to study altering sunlight. The U.S. wants to research a phenomenon called solar radiation modification. It may want to undertake solar experimentation in the future. But this concept is extremely controversial. For starters, it could abruptly increase temperatures. So is the U.S. playing with fire? Or can blocking the Sun help reverse the effects of climate change. Palki Sharma tells you.”* CONSULTATIONS REQUIRED The ARIA Research opportunity space on climate engineering is open for feedback <https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aria.org.uk%2Fcontact-mark%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cp.irvine%40ucl.ac.uk%7C008b4ab31f2044c2724708dbf73e3e0e%7C1faf88fea9984c5b93c9210a11d9a5c2%7C0%7C0%7C638375620925610682%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=qGHxBci%2FBYzMP5KLxyX6PFq%2F%2Bk4BW62ZntseuWxe3gE%3D&reserved=0> ------------------------------ *DEADLINES**EXTENSION: Call for Proposals-Grants for social science research on solar radiation modification | Deadline: 20 December 2023 <https://link.sbstck.com/redirect/406a123d-1524-41ec-b2b9-486abcf28cdf?j=eyJ1IjoiMjJrMHl3In0.wQQsFypG52typ8FI2nhnJ8eUoUIIkdCkuhmzxNYKtgE>* (NEW) EGU session on SRM: Advances in Solar Radiation Modification Research <https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU24/session/49142> | Deadline: 10 January 2024*Call for Papers: Special Collection "Towards a Risk-Risk-Assessment of Solar Radiation Modification" <https://academic.oup.com/oocc/pages/solar-radiation-modification?login=false> | Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2024* -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "geoengineering" group. 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