Towards a comprehensive climate impacts assessment of solar geoengineering

• Published in: Earth's future Vol. 5; no. 1
• Main Authors: Irvine, Peter J., Kravitz, Ben, Lawrence, Mark G., Gerten, Dieter, Caminade, Cyril, Gosling, Simon N., Hendy, Erica J., Kassie, Belay T., Kissling, W. Daniel, Muri, Helene, Oschlies, Andreas, Smith, Steven J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Geophysical Union (AGU) 23.11.2016
• Subjects: climate change; climate engineering; climate impacts; ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; geoengineering; ISI-MIP; solar radiation management
• ISSN: 2328-4277; 2328-4277

Here, despite a growing literature on the projected physical climate responses to solar geoengineering — i.e. proposals to cool the planet by increasing the planetary albedo — there is no clear picture of the subsequent impacts of such a modified climate on natural and human systems such as agriculture, health, water resources, and ecosystems. Here we argue that engaging the climate impacts research community is necessary to evaluate and communicate how solar geoengineering might reduce some risks, exacerbate others, and give rise to novel risks. We review the current state of knowledge on consequences of solar geoengineering and conclude that a thorough assessment of its impacts can proceed by building upon the frameworks developed for assessing impacts of climate change. However, the climate response to solar geoengineering will depend on the form under consideration and the manner in which it is deployed, presenting a novel challenge for the climate impacts research community.