Governance

Who decides if a sunshade should get built?

The governance mechanism to make the decision about whether or not to build a sunshade does not currently exist.

A sunshade will impact all people, and all life on Earth. While the intention is for that impact to be positive (by helping stabilize the climate), the decision to undertake sunlight reflection of any sort will involve government. The question is through which governments and through which decision making processes this will occur.

As the impact of anthropogenic climate change worsens, we anticipate there will be greater pressure on governments to act.

Could a sunshade create a ‘moral hazard’ which causes the world to de-prioritize decarbonization?

Yes, this is a possibility, but this same argument applies to other forms of sunlight reflection, as well as to carbon dioxide removal. It is more helpful to consider a ‘risk-risk’ framework, where we acknowledge there are risks associated with developing or deploying climate interventions, but we must compare those to the risk of not developing those capabilities at all.

The Planetary Sunshade Institute agrees with, and emphasizes the conclusions of the climate science community, namely that decarbonization is a necessary and fundamental part of climate stabilization.

Could a sunshade be developed by a private company?

This is an unknown, but possible scenario. Elon Musk has speculated about using satellites to shade the earth and cool the climate, and SpaceX has the stated intention to build the infrastructure capable of constructing structures like a sunshade. Given the massive scale of consuctruting a sunshade, SpaceX is currently the only private actor for which this is in the realm of possibility.

According to the Outer Space Treaty, all space activity is the responsibility of the launching country. If a private actor were to take steps toward a sunshade, it would become a matter of government.

References

Climate Action in Space: A sustainable development framework for sunshades

The Politics of Geoengineering: Perspectives from the Social Sciences

Children of a Modest Star

Responsible research for space-based climate geoengineering

What we know:

Governance is essential. It is not possible for a sunshade to exist with a governing structure.

Sunshade governance is a component of broader geoengineering governance, which in turn is connected to the overarching goal of planetary climate governance.

What we don’t know:

What is the planetary political system going to look like in 10, 20, 40, 80 yrs?

What would the public reaction be to sunshade research? To deployment?

Which stakeholders are required to make a decision?

What research would help?

Policy makers engaged with both climate change and space policy should become educated about the sunshade concept.

Researchers and policy makers studying sunlight reflection and climate interventions should consider space based sunshades in their analysis.

Planetary governance mechanisms should be developed that are capable of addressing the full range of climate variables (reducing emissions, removing carbon dioxide, and reflecting sunlight)

Research Principles

Several important and complimentary sets of research principles have been developed to guide research into climate interventions. These principles are overlapping, and so far, voluntary. They exist as proposals to help researchers align their work with a larger developing understanding. Here we list credible organizations and efforts:

  • In 2019, the British Royal Society published a review of governance proposals for solar geoengineering. ARIA’s Oversight + Governance Committee framework lays out a clear process for governing outdoor experiments, based on public engagement requirements. (The UK’s Advanced Research and Invention Agency is PSI’s largest source of funding).
  • The American Geophysical Union (AGU), the world’s largest association of Earth and space scientists, takes the position that a robust body of scientific evidence about climate intervention, guided by an ethical framework, should be consulted as society weighs its options for addressing climate change. Therefore, AGU has facilitated the development of this Ethical Framework for Climate Intervention Research.
  • The Alliance for Just Deliberation on Solar Geoengineering (DSG) “is a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to fostering just and inclusive deliberation about research and potential use of solar geoengineering.
  • The Center for Future Generations (CFG) “is an independent think-and-do tank created to help decision-makers anticipate and govern rapid technological change. We are here to make sure that emerging technologies are used in the best interests of humanity.”
  • The Degrees Initiative: “For over a decade, the Degrees Initiative has led the world in building the capacity of developing countries to evaluate solar radiation modification (SRM).
  • Climate Overshoot Commission was founded after the 2022 IPCC report which found that staying below 1.50C would be all but impossible. The commission recommends, among other things, to invest in “Exploring the risks and benefits of reflecting incoming sunlight.” It goes on to detail how this should be done responsibly.
  • Resources for the Future and Harvard University convenes events, such as the 2025 SRM Social Science Research Workshop: Governance in a Fractured World. This collaboration seeks to improve our understanding of the risks, potential benefits, and other uncertain implications of SRM.

Economics

What we know:

Climate disasters will be very costly, and averting them could be considered a source of funding.

Sunshade technology offers many co-benefits: solar observation & storm warning, asteroid deflection, in space manufacturing, and advantages in an overall space economy.

What we don’t know:

How much will a sunshade cost? Estimates range from $1 Trillion to $10 Trillion.

What would it take to develop lunar resources? If a sunshade is developed with lunar industrial capacity, it could be easier, cheaper, and more sustainable with regard’s to Earth’s climate.

What research would help?

Development of the capabilities to use lunar resources.

Understanding the various technologies involved in building and operating specific sunshade designs.

The Planetary Sunshade Institute is a U.S.-based, registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
EIN: 87-1564467

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