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Media articles related to climate interventions.

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Geoengineering: Assessing Risks in the Era of Planetary Security

17 July 2025, Olivia Lazard, Mandi Bissett, and James Dyke, carnegieendowment.org

Global warming now routinely surpasses the 1.5° Celsius threshold, prompting growing interest in geoengineering as a solution to reduce the effects of climate change. However, these approaches pose serious environmental, social, and geopolitical challenges. This paper is a primer for policymakers, particularly in Europe. It introduces a novel framework through which to view the risks associated with the individual and combined effects of various geoengineering approaches.

EPA releases online info on contrails and geoengineering amid conspiracy theories

11 July 2025, Kalé Carey, san.com

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has launched new online resources providing information on contrails and geoengineering amid concerns among some Americans. The website provides an overview of the basics of geoengineering, potential impacts of solar geoengineering, and answers to frequent questions. The move comes as conspiracy theories about cloud seeding are spreading in the wake of deadly Texas flooding.

Atmosphere / solar radiation

Global Surveys Challenge Assumptions on Public Opinion of SRM

10 July 2025, Chad Baum, Benjamin Sovacool and Livia Fritz, srm360.org

In discussions about SRM, a handful of assumptions about public opinion are often taken for granted. Some of these well-worn tropes have gone largely unexamined – until recently. Specifically, that SRM is inherently controversial; opposition is most prevalent in the Global South; and there is broad support for a global ban or moratorium on SRM. But new evidence strongly challenges some conventional assumptions about public attitudes. This research yielded important insights into public perceptions of SRM, summarized in this article. It is hoped that these insights will shape ongoing discussions and debates around SRM, and demonstrate the clear need for inclusive and deep engagement with the general public.

Atmosphere / solar radiation

Reduce, remove, reflect — the three Rs that could limit global warming

08 July 2025, Dante McGrath, theconversation.com

The three Rs of climate action: reduce, remove, and reflect. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is at centre stage, while greenhouse gas removal offers a supporting role by removing historical emissions and offsetting residual emissions from sectors lagging behind in the energy transition. However, the consequences of climate change are outpacing efforts to abate it. With each year, the likelihood of exceeding 1.5 and 2°C warming increases, posing major risks to society and Earth’s ecosystems. That’s why the third R — reflect — needs to be assessed.

Atmosphere / solar radiation

What an effort to save Arctic sea ice means to the people who depend on it

03 July 2025, Chloe Williams, thenarwhal.ca

Ice thickening is an example of a category of highly controversial interventions aimed at modifying the climate to combat warming. The Real Ice project in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, has drawn sharp criticism from scientists, who question the environmental impacts of the company’s experimental efforts and the feasibility of scaling up. But unlike many geoengineering projects, Real Ice’s experiments have garnered local support so far. For some residents, the goal of saving sea ice resonates because it supports the continuation of cultural and traditional practices. Others see applications for sea ice thickening besides fighting climate change. At a smaller scale, it could be useful for building roads, reinforcing snowmobile routes or supporting fish and wildlife populations. Five Cambridge Bay residents discuss what sea ice means to them, as well as how they see their home changing and, if they have heard about Real Ice, what they think about the effort.

Sea ice & icebergs

This B.C. company says it can change the weather to stop lightning and wildfires — but won’t say how

02 July 2025, Jesse Winter, thenarwhal.ca

The startup company Skyward Wildfire claims it can prevent wildfires by disrupting lightning before it strikes. Its website says it uses “government-approved methods” to neutralize the potential electric charge in storm clouds during periods of high fire weather risk, reducing lightning strikes — and the fires they can cause — in the first place. Experts say it’s possible — but the science is murky and few details are available.

Land-based measures -> Wildfire management

Mirrors in space and underwater curtains: can technology buy us enough time to save the Arctic ice caps?

25 June 2025, Oren Gruenbaum, www.theguardian.com

A conference in Cambridge this week will explore a raft of geoengineering ideas to cool the region down – and attempt to address the fears of those who argue the risks outweigh the benefits

Perspective: The Arctic is Running Out of Time

25 June 2025, Hugh Hunt, srm360.org

Ahead of the Arctic Repair Conference, Hugh Hunt discusses the state and significance of the Arctic climate and what can be done to address it. He argues that additional measures alongside emissions cuts, such as sunlight reflection methods (SRM), may be able to help, and that SRM research efforts must be expanded.

On solid ice: the plan to refreeze the Arctic

21 June 2025, Chloe Williams, thenarwhal.ca

As sea ice melts, Inuit cultural traditions are at risk of disappearing too. Could a geoengineering experiment save them?

Sea ice & icebergs

Climate Fixing: From Legitimate to Crazy Ideas

06 June 2025, Morten Risberg, www.aftenposteninnsikt.no

As the world struggles to meet agreed climate goals, geoengineering – deliberate and extensive intervention in the Earth’s climate system – is increasingly being touted as a real way to slow global warming. But neither regulations nor knowledge of the consequences are in place. And what happens to climate goals if we allow engineering to mask climate change?

Five geoengineering trials the UK is funding to combat global warming

03 June 2025, Robert Chris, Climate interventions

The UK government recently announced plans to fund five small-scale trials related to geoengineering. Of the 21 projects being funded by Aria, the UK government's Advanced Research and Invention Agency, five are likely to involve small-scale outdoor experiments. They account for about half the £57 million program. Three of the projects concern brightening clouds over the ocean, one explores a method of refreezing the Arctic and the fifth looks at a specific detail of injecting reflective aerosols into the stratosphere. The other projects concern how to govern these technologies and model and monitor their effects. They could also yield insights vital for securing the public and governmental support necessary if these technologies are ever to be deployed on a much larger scale.

How can 'geoengineering' help save us from the climate emergency?

02 June 2025, Gwynne Dyer, www.saltwire.com

The only way to hold the heat down in the short term is ‘geoengineering’: direct intervention in the atmosphere to reflect more sunlight back into space and thereby cool the planet, writes Gwynne Dyer

Three ways to cool Earth by pulling carbon from the sky

23 April 2025, Jeff Tollefson, www.nature.com

With the world set to blow past its temperature targets, efforts are growing to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. The cheapest way to draw carbon out of the atmosphere is to grow more forests, but trees are not necessarily a permanent solution because they might be cut down or burn in fires, which are a growing threat. Many scientists and industrialists therefore focus on more permanent — and more expensive — solutions. Also available as a podcast: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01650-7

Industry

Can geoengineering plans save glaciers and slow sea level rise?

05 February 2025, Douglas Fox, www.sciencenews.org

Controversial plans to curb the melting of some West Antarctic glaciers pose big challenges.

Ice sheets and glaciers -> Ice sheet stabilization via seabed curtains

Saving the Frozen Arctic, Part II – Expert Assessment of Climate Solutions for the Arctic

04 February 2025, GRID-Arendal and UArctic, www.uarctic.org

While concerns about the risks and drawbacks of climate interventions are well-founded, few systematic studies have assessed the proposed options and their potential environmental, social, and economic consequences. To address this gap, UArctic, GRID-Arendal, and the Arctic Centre at the University of Lapland released Frozen Arctic: Horizon Scan of Interventions to Slow Down, Halt, and Reverse the Effects of Climate Change in the Arctic and Northern Regions in October 2023. The team behind the initiative is now embarking on the most ambitious phase of the project. Every proposed intervention will undergo an open, high-quality, transparent, and non-partisan peer-review process. Expert groups from a range of disciplines—including atmospheric, terrestrial, ocean, and ecosystem sciences, as well as economics, society, business, law, and governance—will lead the reviews.

Arctic geoengineering experiment shuts down over environmental risks

03 February 2025, Sebastian Rodriguez, www.climatechangenews.com

US-based nonprofit Arctic Ice Project has cancelled tests in Alaska because of potential disruption to the food chain

Sea ice & icebergs

Glacier Intervention Research Isn’t Just for Glaciologists

09 January 2025, Kenneth D. Mankoff, Christina Hulbe, Sławek Tulaczyk, Francesca Marzatico and Tiffany Morrison , eos.org

Prospects for mitigating sea level rise by slowing flows of glacial ice into the ocean are worthy of research, but this work must involve all rights holders and stakeholders.

Ice sheets and glaciers

As ‘Doomsday’ Glacier Melts, Can an Artificial Barrier Save It?

26 August 2024, Fred Pearce, e360.yale.edu

Relatively warm ocean currents are weakening the base of Antarctica’s enormous Thwaites Glacier, whose demise could raise sea levels by as much as 7 feet. To separate the ice from those warmer ocean waters, scientists have put forward an audacious plan to erect a massive underwater curtain.

Land-based measures -> Increasing glacier thickness by local artificial snow production

Will we be ready? Geoengineering policy lags far behind pace of climate change

26 August 2024, Charles Pekow, news.mongabay.com

The history of geoengineering policymaking has been piecemeal over past decades, with U.N. bodies failing to create or implement rigorous binding international regulatory frameworks for geoengineering management, and with academia and think tanks delivering reports and recommendations that offer little definitive detailed regulatory guidance.

Sea ice & icebergs -> Increasing glacier thickness by local artificial snow production

This simple farming technique can capture carbon for thousands of years

22 August 2024, Matt Simon, grist.org

Across the world, farmers are turning waste biomass into biochar, improving soils, boosting yields, and creating a new source of income.

Ice sheets and glaciers -> Stabilizing glaciers by cloud seeding

Results

"Geoengineering: Assessing Risks in the Era of Planetary Security"

17 July 2025, Olivia Lazard, Mandi Bissett, and James Dyke, carnegieendowment.org

"EPA releases online info on contrails and geoengineering amid conspiracy theories"

11 July 2025, Kalé Carey, san.com

"Global Surveys Challenge Assumptions on Public Opinion of SRM"

10 July 2025, Chad Baum, Benjamin Sovacool and Livia Fritz, srm360.org

"Reduce, remove, reflect — the three Rs that could limit global warming"

08 July 2025, Dante McGrath, theconversation.com

"What an effort to save Arctic sea ice means to the people who depend on it"

03 July 2025, Chloe Williams, thenarwhal.ca

"This B.C. company says it can change the weather to stop lightning and wildfires — but won’t say how"

02 July 2025, Jesse Winter, thenarwhal.ca

"Mirrors in space and underwater curtains: can technology buy us enough time to save the Arctic ice caps?"

25 June 2025, Oren Gruenbaum, www.theguardian.com

"Perspective: The Arctic is Running Out of Time"

25 June 2025, Hugh Hunt, srm360.org

"On solid ice: the plan to refreeze the Arctic"

21 June 2025, Chloe Williams, thenarwhal.ca

"Climate Fixing: From Legitimate to Crazy Ideas"

06 June 2025, Morten Risberg, www.aftenposteninnsikt.no

"Five geoengineering trials the UK is funding to combat global warming"

03 June 2025, Robert Chris, Climate interventions

"How can 'geoengineering' help save us from the climate emergency?"

02 June 2025, Gwynne Dyer, www.saltwire.com

"Three ways to cool Earth by pulling carbon from the sky"

23 April 2025, Jeff Tollefson, www.nature.com

"Can geoengineering plans save glaciers and slow sea level rise?"

05 February 2025, Douglas Fox, www.sciencenews.org

"Saving the Frozen Arctic, Part II – Expert Assessment of Climate Solutions for the Arctic"

04 February 2025, GRID-Arendal and UArctic, www.uarctic.org

"Arctic geoengineering experiment shuts down over environmental risks"

03 February 2025, Sebastian Rodriguez, www.climatechangenews.com

"Glacier Intervention Research Isn’t Just for Glaciologists "

09 January 2025, Kenneth D. Mankoff, Christina Hulbe, Sławek Tulaczyk, Francesca Marzatico and Tiffany Morrison , eos.org

"As ‘Doomsday’ Glacier Melts, Can an Artificial Barrier Save It?"

26 August 2024, Fred Pearce, e360.yale.edu

"Will we be ready? Geoengineering policy lags far behind pace of climate change"

26 August 2024, Charles Pekow, news.mongabay.com

"This simple farming technique can capture carbon for thousands of years"

22 August 2024, Matt Simon, grist.org

Media

Filter

Geoengineering: Assessing Risks in the Era of Planetary Security

EPA releases online info on contrails and geoengineering amid conspiracy theories

Global Surveys Challenge Assumptions on Public Opinion of SRM

Reduce, remove, reflect — the three Rs that could limit global warming

What an effort to save Arctic sea ice means to the people who depend on it

This B.C. company says it can change the weather to stop lightning and wildfires — but won’t say how

Mirrors in space and underwater curtains: can technology buy us enough time to save the Arctic ice caps?

Perspective: The Arctic is Running Out of Time

On solid ice: the plan to refreeze the Arctic

Climate Fixing: From Legitimate to Crazy Ideas

Five geoengineering trials the UK is funding to combat global warming

How can 'geoengineering' help save us from the climate emergency?

Three ways to cool Earth by pulling carbon from the sky

Can geoengineering plans save glaciers and slow sea level rise?

Saving the Frozen Arctic, Part II – Expert Assessment of Climate Solutions for the Arctic

Arctic geoengineering experiment shuts down over environmental risks

Glacier Intervention Research Isn’t Just for Glaciologists

As ‘Doomsday’ Glacier Melts, Can an Artificial Barrier Save It?

Will we be ready? Geoengineering policy lags far behind pace of climate change

This simple farming technique can capture carbon for thousands of years

Results

"Geoengineering: Assessing Risks in the Era of Planetary Security"

"EPA releases online info on contrails and geoengineering amid conspiracy theories"

"Global Surveys Challenge Assumptions on Public Opinion of SRM"

"Reduce, remove, reflect — the three Rs that could limit global warming"

"What an effort to save Arctic sea ice means to the people who depend on it"

"This B.C. company says it can change the weather to stop lightning and wildfires — but won’t say how"

"Mirrors in space and underwater curtains: can technology buy us enough time to save the Arctic ice caps?"

"Perspective: The Arctic is Running Out of Time"

"On solid ice: the plan to refreeze the Arctic"

"Climate Fixing: From Legitimate to Crazy Ideas"

"Five geoengineering trials the UK is funding to combat global warming"

"How can 'geoengineering' help save us from the climate emergency?"

"Three ways to cool Earth by pulling carbon from the sky"

"Can geoengineering plans save glaciers and slow sea level rise?"

"Saving the Frozen Arctic, Part II – Expert Assessment of Climate Solutions for the Arctic"

"Arctic geoengineering experiment shuts down over environmental risks"

"Glacier Intervention Research Isn’t Just for Glaciologists "

"As ‘Doomsday’ Glacier Melts, Can an Artificial Barrier Save It?"

"Will we be ready? Geoengineering policy lags far behind pace of climate change"

"This simple farming technique can capture carbon for thousands of years"