Volts Should we block some sunlight to cool the planet?
21 snips
Mar 27, 2026 Dakota Gruener, nonprofit leader who maps uncertainties in solar radiation management, discusses stratospheric aerosol injection. She covers why SAI is the leading sunlight-reflection approach. Conversations hit a major model disagreement on particle physics, engineering challenges of lofting aerosols, regional precipitation effects, transparency and rogue tests, and governance questions about who would control planetary cooling.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Uncertainty Database Maps Decision Relevant Gaps
- Reflective built an uncertainty database to rank technical gaps by how likely we are to be wrong and by how much being wrong would change decisions.
- Categories include aerosol evolution, climate response, earth system response, and engineering to guide funders and researchers toward decision-relevant work.
Aerosol Size Doubles The Deployment Uncertainty
- Aerosol size distribution is a critical model uncertainty that causes a factor-of-two disagreement on how much material is required for a given cooling.
- Size affects reflectivity, lifetime, health/ecosystem impacts, and infrastructure needs, so this drives major decision differences.
Adopt A Phased Trials Pathway For SRM Research
- Use a phased, clinical-trial style research pathway: phase zero modeling, phase one small lofting (~10 tons SO2) to observe aerosol formation, and phase two tracking circulation over months.
- Limit early experiments to decision-relevant, non-climate-impacting scales and require review at each step.