Statements of Public Agencies
Below are statements by representatives of governments, public agencies, international organizations, and policy-makers on the governance of solar geoengineering.
Position of the German Environment Agency on SRM
Position by the German Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt, UBA) on SRM. The UBA rejects the use and technological development of SRM and does not consider it as a future emergency option or transitional technology. It states that an international non-use agreement should be sought in addition to the existing governance structures.
“Why a non-use mechanism on solar geoengineering is urgently needed”
Keynote address by Hon. Ralph Regenvanu, Vanuatu’s Special Envoy for Climate Change and Environment, and Former Minister for Climate Change Adaptation, Energy, Environment, Meteorology, Geo-Hazards, and Disaster Management, delivered at the Science Summit during the 79th United Nations General Assembly.
“African leadership in calling for a non-use mechanism on solar geoengineering: Key policy developments”
Presentation by Ms. Hibaa-Haibado Ismael Tani, Third Counsellor and Deputy Permanent Representative to UNEP and UN-Habitat at the Embassy of Djibouti in Kenya, delivered during the Science Summit at the 79th United Nations General Assembly. The presentation addresses the position of the African group of countries during the UNEA-6 negotiations on SRM and the AMCEN decision.
“Solar geoengineering and its implications for human rights”
Presentation by Mr. Rio Hada, Chief of the Equality, Development, and Rule of Law Section at the New York Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), delivered during the Science Summit at the 79th United Nations General Assembly. The presentation addresses solar geoengineering and its implications for human rights.
“Germany’s position on Solar Radiation Management”
Mr. Philippe Maupai, Deputy Head of the Division of Climate and Security at Germany’s Federal Foreign Office, presented Germany’s interministerial position on solar radiation modification during the Science Summit at the 79th United Nations General Assembly.
ICJ Written statement submitted by the Republic of Vanuatu
Paragraphs 571-575 address solar geoengineering in connection with the obligation of cessation. They state that “Vanuatu further submits that the development and use of [solar] geoengineering and other speculative technologies are inconsistent with States’ existing obligations under customary international law and treaty law, including obligations that are, in substance, part of the obligation of cessation. These obligations constrain and prohibit reliance on such technologies.”
African countries call for the non-use of solar geoengineering at UNEA
During the 6th United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6), held in February 2024 in Nairobi, a resolution on SRM was discussed. The African group of countries called for a global governance mechanism for non-use of solar geoengineering. This position was supported by several other Global South countries, including Colombia, Fiji, Mexico, Pakistan, and Vanuatu.
European Parliament calls for non-use agreement
A resolution by the European Parliament that calls on “the Commission and the Member States to initiate a non-use agreement at [the] international level, in accordance with the precautionary principle and in the absence of evidence of its safety and a full global consensus on its acceptability.”
Decision on non-use mechanisms by African ministers at AMCEN
Decision 19/5 by African Ministers at the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) on “the need for a global governance mechanism for non-use of solar radiation management” (p. 32).
Mexico Bans Solar Geoengineering Experiments
Announcement by the government of Mexico to ban all geoengineering experiments over its territory.