The European Union has allocated €35 million, equivalent to roughly US$39.4 million, to fund research and international coordination on detecting unauthorized attempts to manipulate the Earth’s atmosphere, specifically through solar radiation modification.
Under the Horizon Europe research and innovation program, the call for projects was officially announced on Tuesday. This early-stage initiative seeks to coordinate global responses regarding Solar Radiation Modification (SRM), a nascent and highly controversial geoengineering technology that could potentially be deployed to cool the planet if global temperatures reach critical tipping points.
The initiative follows a recent United Nations warning that global temperatures are on track to breach the critical 1.5 degrees Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) threshold above pre-industrial levels within the next few years. Without significant policy shifts, global temperatures could rise by as much as 2.6 degrees Celsius.
The urgency of these measures is underscored by the already palpable effects of climate change, with wildfires, droughts, hurricanes, and severe flooding events occurring with increasing frequency and intensity worldwide.
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