British minister are preparing for a dire scenario in which foreign actors could weaponise sun dimming technology.
According to a ministerial letter, whose details were reported by the Telegraph, the Government is looking to understand the risks and implications of an ‘independent or third party actor’ using advanced technology to reflect light away from specific parts of the planet.
While this technology is being developed with the aim of drastically reducing global warming in a last ditch effort, experts fear hostile nations like Russia could use solar engineering to put their enemies into an environmental disaster.
Kerry McCarthy, the UK’s climate minister, wrote in the letter: ‘The UK is a longstanding leader on climate action and an active international collaborator in scientific research.
‘The Government recognises the need to understand the risks and impacts of [solar radiation modification] approaches that could be deployed by an independent or third-party actor.
‘Robust scientific evidence is essential for informing responsible and inclusive governance.’
Most, though not all, methods of solar radiation modification involve shooting reflective aerosols into the atmosphere.
Reflective particles then bounce the sun’s light out of the atmosphere, before it has a chance to get trapped and heat it up.
Most, though not all, methods of solar radiation modification involve shooting reflective aerosols into the atmosphere (CG image of a mirror orbiting the Earth)
Though these technologies are being developed for climate adjusting purposes, Matt Ince, the associate director at Dragonfly Intelligence, told the Telegraph that rogue nations could use them to create ‘novel’ problems for their enemies.
He said: ‘In a context where we’ve had, for example, Russia increasingly expanding its use of hybrid warfare activities, it’s possible – not immediately, but down the line – that they may look to broaden and diversify the types of activities that they’re conducting, to include more novel types of activity of which solar geoengineering may be one.
‘Not least because of its relative affordability and the feasibility of conducting it, but also because it would allow a relative degree of plausible deniability.
‘We’ve seen migration patterns being intentionally influenced by the Russian state as a way of trying to push more pressure on to European countries.’
But other experts were less certain that states would use the technology for nefarious purposes.
Lt Gen Richard Nugee, an MoD expert on climate change and sustainability, said: ‘No country has yet tried to weaponise the technology, quite possibly for a couple of reasons.
‘It is seen to be very expensive for no defined and guaranteed output, and also it is not possible to predict the outcome – there are too many variables.’
