Geoengineering

Geoengineering offers a potential solution for climate change, but it comes with far-reaching social, political, and environmental risks. Below, you will find all our articles, publications, and thematic focuses on geoengineering.

See the topic page Geoengineering

Articles

Institutionalising Article 6: Bureaucracy, Technology, and the Future of Global Carbon Markets

Published: 9 July 2026

Analysis

Article 6 is emerging as the institutional hub of international carbon markets. While financing and adaptation issues remain stalled, registries, standards, and digital infrastructures are growing rapidly. This development could entrench power dynamics.

Tamra Gilbertson

Africa Is Not a Solar Geoengineering Test Site

Published: 4 July 2025

Analysis

Outside actors are increasingly looking to test speculative climate fixes such as solar geoengineering in African countries. But this potentially dangerous course of action would divert financing and support from real solutions.

Ban Solar Geoengineering

Published: 17 January 2025

Background

Countless scientists and experts have warned that solar geoengineering would give emitters an excuse not to end their fossil-fuel addictions and cause far-reaching unintended consequences.

Mohammed Usrof, Disha Ravi, Heleen Bruggink, Erica Njuguna

Zwei Personen stehen vor einer großen, industriellen Anlage mit mehreren Lüftern. Stahlträger und Rohre sind sichtbar.

UN climate talks could undermine precaution on geoengineering called for by the biodiversity convention

Published: 7 November 2024

Analysis

UNFCCC negotiations on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement risk legitimising dangerous Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) schemes and undermining precautionary work being undertaken in other UN fora.

Linda Schneider , Silvia Ribeiro

Kugel vor dem Gebäude des Sicherheitsrates der Vereinten Nationen in New York

UN-Science Summit: Countries Call for the Non-Use of Solar Geoengineering

Published: 29 October 2024

Analysis

Recent developments at the 79th United Nations General Assembly and its accompanying Science Summit signal a growing political momentum toward restricting the development and potential deployment of solar geoengineering technologies.

Heleen Bruggink, Carol Bardi

Solar geoengineering at COP 28

Published: 26 February 2024

Analysis

In the upcoming UNEA6 meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, to be held between February 26 and March 1st, Switzerland has proposed a resolution to advance global talks on controversial solar radiation manipulation techniques.

Carol Bardi

Screenshot aus Erklärfilm: Ein Technofix für das Klima? Land-basiertes Geoengineering (BECCS)

Delay, Distract and Deceive: BECCS Developments in South America, Africa and Asia

Published: 30 November 2023

Analysis

Bioenergy Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) technologies are among the most problematic in carbon removal geoengineering. Part two of our series analyses the status of BECCS in South America, Africa, and Asia.

Coraina de la Plaza, Kwami Kpondzo, Souparna Lahiri

Aufmacherbild zu Erklärfilm: Ein Technofix für das Klima? Land-basiertes Geoengineering (BECCS)

Delay, Distract and Deceive: BECCS Developments in South America, Africa and Asia

Published: 27 November 2023

Analysis

Part one of our series analyses the status of BECCS in South America and Africa and shows that BECCS is far from being the silver bullet to climate change that some actors portray it to be.

Coraina de la Plaza, Kwami Kpondzo, Souparna Lahiri

dossiers

Geoengineering

Published: 9 October 2017

Dossier

Our web dossier sheds light on the risks of geoengineering for human rights, indigenous and community rights, peace and democracy, food security, biodiversity and ecosystem integrity.

Publications

cover factsheet Surface Albedo Modification

Surface Albedo Modification and Arctic Ice Management

Published: 21 April 2026

Factsheet

Changing the surface albedo is a proposed solar geoengineering method that aims to reflect more sunlight back into space by increasing the Earth’s albedo—the reflectivity of the Earth’s surface.

Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI)

Published: 21 April 2026

Factsheet

Stratospheric aerosol injection is a proposed solar geoengineering method in which large quantities of tiny reflective particles are released into the stratosphere to cool the Earth by reflecting sunlight back into space.

Enhanced Photosynthesis

Published: 21 April 2026

Factsheet

Enhanced photosynthesis techniques are theoretical geoengineering technologies based on the idea that plants and algae can be genetically modified to absorb and metabolize and therefore store more carbon dioxide.

Microbubbles and Sea Foam

Published: 21 April 2026

Factsheet

Microbubbles proposals suggest that by injecting millions of tiny air bubbles into the ocean or spraying sea foam onto surface waters, the albedo of large areas of ocean could be increased, thereby reflecting more sunlight back into space.

Ocean Fertilization

Published: 21 April 2026

Factsheet

Ocean fertilization is a proposed method for CO2 removal in which large quantities of micro- or macronutrients are introduced into marine areas with low biological productivity to stimulate the growth of phytoplankton.

Artificial Upwelling

Published: 21 April 2026

Factsheet

Artificial upwelling aims to artificially pump cooler, nutrient-rich water from the depths of the oceans to the surface in order to stimulate phytoplankton activity and reduce CO2.

Direct Air Capture

Published: 21 April 2026

Factsheet

Direct Air Capture (DAC) schemes aim to extract carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from the atmosphere by chemical and mechanical means, generally using a chemical sorbent and large fans to move air through a filter.

CCUS: Carbon Capture Use and Storage

Published: 21 April 2026

Factsheet

Carbon Capture Use and Storage (CCUS) aims to put carbon dioxide captured from industries such as cement production to an alternative use, such as a feedstock for manufacturing products, where the carbon is then stored.

More publications about Geoengineering (20)