The Source

SRC - SAI

3 min read

SRC - SAI

Folder: 05 - SOURCE MATERIAL Supporting: Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI)

Primary Scientific Sources

Wikipedia — Stratospheric Aerosol Injection https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratospheric_aerosol_injection Updated March 18 2026 — two days ago. IPCC assessment confirmed. All delivery mechanisms confirmed. All risks documented. Make Sunsets confirmed. SCoPEx cancellation confirmed.

IPCC Assessment “Most researched solar radiation modification method with high agreement it could limit warming to below 1.5°C.” Sixth Assessment Report confirmed.

NOAA CSL — August 2024 “Scientists propose guidelines for solar geoengineering research” https://csl.noaa.gov/news/2024/412_0822.html NSF NCAR led international team. Oxford Open Climate Change publication confirmed. Governance framework need confirmed. Global South inclusion requirement documented.

Feasibility With Existing Aircraft

Earth’s Future — April 2025 Duffey et al. “Low-altitude high-latitude SAI is feasible with existing aircraft” https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2024EF005567 35% cooling efficiency of high-altitude strategy confirmed. Existing jetliner certification ceiling ~13 km confirmed. Business jets to ~15.5 km confirmed. Novel aircraft required above 20 km. Two decades to build full fleet confirmed.

Make Sunsets — Unauthorised Deployment

Geoengineering Monitor — October 2024 https://www.geoengineeringmonitor.org/technologies/stratospheric-aerosol-injection Make Sunsets founded October 2022. Unauthorised test flights from Baja California Mexico confirmed. Reno Nevada and San Francisco Bay flights confirmed. Mexico ban on solar geoengineering experiments confirmed. No US regulatory framework to stop domestic flights confirmed.

SCoPEx Cancellation

Geoengineering Monitor (2024) SCoPEx cancelled early 2024 confirmed. Civil society and Indigenous Peoples opposition confirmed. HOME Alliance campaign documented. Sweden balloon test location confirmed.

Mount Pinatubo Reference

Science (2002) Soden BJ et al. “Global cooling after the eruption of Mount Pinatubo” Science 296(5568):727-730 DOI: 10.1126/science.296.5568.727 0.5°C cooling for over a year confirmed. 20 million tonnes SO2 confirmed.

Risks — Scientific Literature

Termination Shock: Parker & Irvine (2018) “The Risk of Termination Shock from Solar Geoengineering” Earth’s Future journal. Catastrophic rebound on sudden cessation confirmed. verified

Monsoon Disruption: GeoMIP model ensemble studies. Asian and African monsoon effects documented across multiple papers including Tilmes et al. (2013) Journal of Geophysical Research.

Ozone Depletion: Tilmes et al. “Stratospheric ozone response to sulfate aerosol and solar dimming” GeoMIP simulations confirmed. Wikipedia SAI article above.

Air Quality and Mortality: Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics January 27 2026 https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/26/1339/2026/ CESM2-WACCM6 simulations. 0.4% reduction in pollution-related mortality at 1.5°C target. 1.3% reduction ozone deaths. 0.9% increase PM2.5 deaths. Effects modest and uncertain.

CIA and Governance

National Academy of Sciences — 2021 “Reflecting Sunlight: Recommendations for Solar Geoengineering Research and Research Governance” CIA funding confirmed. Full report available at nap.nationalacademies.org

ENMOD Convention Environmental Modification Convention. Prohibits military use of environmental modification. Does not cover civilian geoengineering. UN Office for Disarmament Affairs.

Solar Spectrum Effects

2023 agricultural study 1% global solar radiation reduction — significant agricultural output effects across multiple continents. Referenced in multiple SAI risk reviews. Specific citation: investigate

See SRC - The Sun & Human Biology For full spectrum biological effects of altered sunlight. Photobiomodulation and near-infrared effects confirmed in that SRC.

Still To Source

  • Make Sunsets — full documentation of all flight locations and amounts released investigate
  • CIA 2021 NAS funding — confirm exact dollar amount and scope of CIA involvement #investigate
  • Schumann Resonance and ionospheric effects of SAI — no peer reviewed study found. Genuinely open question. #investigate
  • Specific 2023 agricultural study on 1% solar reduction — primary citation needed investigate
  • Current US regulatory status for domestic SAI experiments — any new framework post-2024 #investigate
  • Make Sunsets company status 2025-2026 — still operating? #investigate

Graph View

Backlinks