They War-Gamed Dimming the Sun. It Went Even Worse Than You Think
A simulation involving experts and officials explored the geopolitical risks of solar geoengineering, a technology designed to cool the planet by reflecting sunlight. The exercise revealed that such interventions could lead to unpredictable climate consequences and international conflict.
Why it matters
As climate change accelerates, solar radiation modification is moving from speculative science to a potential, albeit dangerous, policy tool that lacks international governance.
“I thought that would be such an easy thing. Like, we can all agree to do ethical research and make sure it's for the better of all humans,” she told WIRED. “And boy, was I wrong.”
The simulation, titled Exploring Geopolitical Tipping Points and Climate Cooling Strategies, saw a couple dozen foreign-relations experts, scientists, military personnel, and former government officials from across the world convene in a meeting room at Queen Mary University of London. After making introductions over coffee and little yogurts, they sat at tables arranged in a square with the name of the country or organization each person was playing: national governments, climate NGOs and nonprofits, indigenous groups, and tech companies. Golja was assigned to provide technical advice to help participants make scientifically literate decisions.
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