Solar radiation management geoengineering and strict liability for ultrahazardous activities

Proposals to develop solar radiation management (SRM) geoengineering call intoquestion the capacity of international law to govern innovative new technologies.Geoengineering is ‘the deliberate large-scale intervention in the Earth’s climatesystem, in order to moderate global warming’.1 Solar radiation management proposalsare intended to offset global temperatures rises resulting from climate changeby reflecting a small percentage of incoming solar radiation (sunlight).2 The mostprominent proposal, stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI), is to deposit aerosols intothe stratosphere to reflect or scatter light away from the Earth, mimicking the coolingeffect produced by large volcanic eruptions.3 Stratospheric aerosol injection ispromising in that it could rapidly reduce global temperatures for a fraction of thecost of conventional mitigation strategies.4 However, SAI deployment is likely tohave detrimental transboundary and global environmental side effects.5 It is thereforeimportant that SAI is governed at an international level, but at present there areno international agreements that specifically address SAI research or deployment