News15th January 2026

The Nuffield Council on Bioethics launches call for evidence to assist in their ethical exploration of solar radiation modification

The Nuffield Council on Bioethics (NCOB) is specifically seeking information on how to effectively incorporate the interests of non-human species, the environment and future generations into policy and decision making on emerging technologies.

The environment & healthGeoengineering

To date, discussions around solar radiation modification (SRM) – potential interventions aimed at reflecting sunlight away from the earth’s surface to reduce global temperatures and counteract the effects of climate change – have been predominantly focused on human interests. This is despite the fact that any intervention with the potential to alter the Earth’s climate also risks affecting non-human species and the environment.

As part of our project exploring the ethical considerations of SRM, we are interested in understanding the wider possible impacts of such interventions. This includes human and non-human health, as well as that of future generations.

We want to assess how these wider considerations can and are being incorporated into the policy development and decision-making processes surrounding emerging technologies, such as SRM. To do this, we need to hear from those working across sectors and within contexts where steps and methods have been developed to recognise and incorporate these views.

Martin Davies, Associate Director of Research and Policy at the NCOB said,

As the climate crisis accelerates so does interest in emerging technologies such as Solar Radiation Modification. If we are to strengthen and inform decisions about SRM research and development, we must take account of who or what might be affected beyond the current human population. With potential ethical trade-offs to navigate it will be vital to understand how to look at the issues involved from an array of different angles.”

Our project exploring SRM follows on from a previous report in which we highlighted the value of embedding ethical considerations into climate and health decision-making processes. As well as demonstrating the intersections between climate change and health, the report emphasised the need to consider and incorporate future generations, the environment, and non-human species into any responses to – or interventions tackling – climate change.

This call for evidence is open for submissions until 15 March 2026. The insights we gather will inform our future research activities and outputs, including our ongoing ethical analysis of SRM.

Any questions or submissions should be emailed to environmentandhealth@nuffieldbioethics.org.