Solar radiation management (SRM) technologies would reflect a small amount of incoming solar radiation back into space before the radiation can warm the planet. Although SRM may emerge as a useful component of a global response to climate change, there is also good reason for caution. In June 2017, the Academic Working Group on Climate Engineering Governance released a policy report, “Governing Solar Radiation Management”, which developed a set of objectives to govern SRM in the near-term future: (1) keep mitigation and adaptation first; (2) thoroughly and transparently evaluate risks, burdens, and benefits; (3) enable responsible knowledge creation; and (4) ensure robust governance before any consideration of deployment. To advance the governance objectives identified above, the working group developed twelve recommendations, grouped into three clusters: (1) create politically legitimate deliberative bodies; (2) leverage existing institutions; and (3) make research transparent and accountable. This communication discusses the rationale behind each cluster and elaborates on a subset of the recommendations from each cluster.

An overview of the history of Solar Radiation Management (SRM) governance shows many developments, but they have largely occurred within a handful of countries in the Global North. An uptick in recent developments suggests SRM is gaining traction.

The renegotiation of what US President Trump called ‘the worst trade deal ever’ has resulted in the most detailed environmental chapter in any trade agreement in history. The USMCA mentions dozens of environmental issues that its predecessor, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), overlooked, and in line with contemporary US practice, brings the vast majority of environmental provisions into the core of the agreement, and subjects these provisions to a sanction-based dispute settlement mechanism. It also jettisons two controversial NAFTA measures potentially harmful to the environment. However, this paper argues that the USMCA only makes limited contributions to environmental protection. It primarily replicates most of the environmental provisions included in recent agreements, and only introduces three unprecedented environmental provisions. Moreover, it avoids important issues such as climate change, it does not mention the precautionary principle, and it scales back some environmental provisions related to multilateral environmental agreements.

Global South countries are increasingly engaging in diplomacy surrounding solar radiation modification (SRM). However, few attempts have been made to document this expanded activity, and none assess its broader significance. In this article, we analyze the last decade of SRM activities in the Global South. We use the vision of anticipatory diplomacy, which calls for proactive efforts to anticipate and govern future scientific developments, to evaluate how well this recent activity is positioning Global South countries to lead on SRM research and decision-making. Through this lens, we identify 6 indicators of increased engagement: (1) expansion of research funding, (2) growing involvement in science and policy leadership, (3) growing involvement in public-facing discussion and debate, (4) the creation of new regional networks, (5) growing NGO-ledefforts, and (6) an increase in government statements. We further analyze four case studies that illustrate different ways actors in the Global South are engaging across diplomatic venues that could facilitate anticipatory diplomacy on SRM. Together, these insights challenge existing narratives and framings of SRM politics and diplomacy premised on either a North-South divide, or a monolithic or uninvolved Global South. We take a first step towards reconstructing a novel narrative of SRM politics premised on recognition of growing expertise across the Global South and the multiple and increasingly diverse and influential roles and positions Southern countries are taking on. To deepen this engagement we underscore three recommendations, rooted in principles of anticipatory diplomacy: (1) expand funding for Global South research; (2) ensure regional expertise informs decision-making; and (3) strengthen North-South and South–South collaborations.