Solar geoengineering could provoke international tensions, so early collaboration on its governance is needed to prevent deployment of untested technologies, says a report.
It found that reflecting sunlight back into space may be a quick and relatively cheap way of tackling global warming, but it could also have devastating side effects, such as altered weather patterns.
The report was released at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 17) in Durban last week (1 December) by the Solar Radiation Management Governance Initiative (SRMGI).
The group, comprised of the UK's Royal Society, the US Environmental Defense Fund and the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS) in Italy claims it took a neutral stance on the issue but called for "nations, NGOs [non-governmental organisations] and individuals to engage in a wide-ranging dialogue to explore potential risks and benefits of solar geoengineering, and establish effective governance for ...