Dear Colleagues,
We invite you to join us in signing
this: Open Letter in Support of Applied-Science Testing and Piloting of
Near-term Global Climate Cooling Approaches: (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-ylFDVmw362TQmKxmmH1_NTlw7k-RHMS/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=116465941111195452408&rtpof=true&sd=true) in which we stress that if we're going to start "shaving the peak" in
2030-2050, as many global climate model geoengineering simulations assume, we
need to start working on this now, or, at least, as soon as
possible.
As many of you know we have been
working on this letter for many months. During this time it has undergone
numerous revisions in response to extensive feedback from numerous colleagues -
some among the current signatories and some not. We believe at this point
that further editing has reached a point of diminishing returns and that it is
time to move forward on garnering further support in advance of
(hopeful) publication.
We think that this letter could be an
important component of the political effort to open the Overton Window
that we and our near allies have expanded to include general support for
geoengineering "research," but that continues to be firmly shut on
the issue of "piloting." The following quote, for example, is
from the September 2023 Executive Summary of the Climate Overshoot
Commission ( https://www.overshootcommission.org/_files/ugd/0c3b70_bab3b3c1cd394745b387a594c9a68e2b.pdf):
"Countries should adopt a
moratorium on the deployment of solar radiation modification and large-scale
outdoor experiments that would carry risk of significant transboundary harm,
while expanding research, and pursuing international governance dialogues."
We disagree with this formulation as
it appears to fail to take into account the ever larger catastrophic climate
events that will happen if cooling efforts are not initiated in the very near
future. Both "large outdoor" applied-science testing and piloting of
near-term global climate cooling approaches need to start now in order to
be implemented in the 2030s at the latest.
Some of you are likely familiar with
the general position in favor of urgent climate cooling being implemented
as a complementary approach to more aggressive efforts to cut emissions of CO2
and CH4, increase resilience, and initiate efforts to build up
Carbon Dioxide Removal.. We believe that our open letter sharpens our call for
a credible comprehensive approach to controlling climate change and clarifies
the practical implications of the need for adding urgent near-term global cooling
to the active set of policy options.
With the global temperature increase
poised to speed past the aspirational goal of the Paris Accord, we are asking
for your signature in support of countering voices that see efforts to augment
and complement emissions reduction with carefully research cooling influences as
more risky than continuing toward projected global warming of 2 to even 3°C or
more of global warming, as argued, for example, in Siegert et al. (2025), who
asserted that
"… further
research into these [geoengineering] techniques would not be an effective use
of limited time and resources.” [brackets ours].
Finally, this letter is part of a
parallel effort to transmit a position paper with a
similar message to IPCC delegations in advance of COP-31, for which, needless
to say, broad support for this letter would be helpful.
We encourage you to consider
co-signing this letter if you agree with the need to augment COP’s mitigation-focused
approach that, while essential to reduce peak warming, is proving insufficient
to meet the goals of the Paris Accord, much less pull the world back from
likely exceeding an increasing number of irreversible tipping points.
To indicate your concurrence, please
send a note to Ron Baiman at [email protected] (also
copying Michael MacCracken at [email protected]). Please include your name as you
would like it to appear and your affiliation(s), including other affiliations
than just HPAC.
Thank you,
Best,
Ron and Mike
For the Co-Signers
