Scientists in the UK are preparing to test an ambitious and controversial strategy to combat global warming by dimming the Sunlight. The goal is to cool the planet temporarily by reflecting some sunlight back into the atmosphere.
The UK government is expected to soon announce up to £50 million in funding for these solar dimming experiments, according to The Telegraph. This comes after the National Environment Research Council (NERC) committed £10 million on April 3 to investigate solar radiation management (SRM) strategies.
These efforts fall under the leadership of Professor Mark Symes, who directs the Government’s advanced research agency, Aria. He explained that the program would involve “small controlled outdoor experiments on particular approaches.”
The possible methods being considered include injecting tiny aerosols into the upper atmosphere and enhancing cloud brightness to reflect more sunlight. These ideas are part of SRM techniques, which attempt to reduce warming by manipulating how much sunlight reaches Earth’s surface.
Prof Symes told The Telegraph: “We will be announcing who we have given funding to in a few weeks and when we do so we will be making clear when any outdoor experiments might be taking place.
“One of the missing pieces in this debate was physical data from the real world. Models can only tell us so much.
“Everything we do is going to be safe by design. We’re absolutely committed to responsible research, including responsible outdoor research.
“We have strong requirements around the length of time experiments can run for and their reversibility and we won’t be funding the release of any toxic substances to the environment.”
The urgency of these experiments is driven by alarming climate data. 2024 was the hottest year on record, with average global temperatures exceeding the 1.5°C limit set by the Paris Agreement. January 2025 was even warmer, with temperatures reaching 1.75°C above pre-industrial levels.
Greenhouse gases, mainly from human activity, continue to trap heat in Earth’s atmosphere. Scientists are concerned that current efforts to cut emissions aren’t enough to prevent disastrous tipping points, like the breakdown of ocean currents or melting ice sheets.
“The uncomfortable truth is that our current warming trajectory makes a number of such tipping points distinctly possible over the next century,” Prof Symes told The Guardian. “This has driven increased interest in approaches that might actively cool the world in a short timeframe in order to avoid those tipping points.”
In addition to outdoor experiments, Aria plans to support computer modeling, laboratory tests, climate observation, and public opinion research on geoengineering.
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