Press Release: Global Partners Announce New Platform to Put Research Governance Principles into Practice for Solar Geoengineering

February 24, 2026 — As interest in solar geoengineering research grows, a group of international scientific, policy, and civil society organizations today announced a new platform designed to bring clarity, consistency, and public accountability to how this research is governed.

The Solar Geoengineering Research Governance (SGRG) Platform will provide shared, voluntary tools that help research institutions demonstrate how decisions are made, risks are managed, and public concerns are addressed.

SGRG is being developed through a partnership among organizations working toward research governance norms, including The Alliance for Just Deliberation on Solar Geoengineering, Council on Energy, Environment and Water, NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), and the American Geophysical Union. Additional partners and participating institutions from across regions and sectors, including laboratories and universities, will be announced as the effort develops.

“Solar geoengineering research is advancing faster than governance systems can keep pace,” shared Shuchi Talati, Executive Director at DSG. “The goal is to carefully co-develop thoughtful, practical governance tools before research expansion narrows public choice.” 

“Guided by global voices across research and practice, AGU created the Ethical Framework for Climate Intervention Research. We are pleased to be a founding Nodal partner for SGRG to promote inclusive and transparent SRM research practices,” said Janice R. Lachance, AGU Executive Director and CEO.

Solar geoengineering research is advancing rapidly amid growing concern about climate warming and its impacts. At the same time, these technologies are facing increasing political scrutiny. Recent controversies around attempted field experiments have shown that research without legitimate governance quickly loses public trust. 

While there is broad agreement that solar geoengineering research must meet clear standards for transparency, public engagement, scientific merit, and accountability, what has been missing is a common way to put those expectations into practice consistently across institutions and borders.

At a moment when formal multilateral pathways remain uncertain, SGRG offers a shared, voluntary framework to make governance practices visible and comparable. Rather than authorizing or prohibiting research, the Platform focuses on making responsible governance easier to implement and easier to demonstrate.

SGRG will co-develop a shared set of tools and norms, including:

• A living Research Governance Charter that establishes baseline expectations around transparency, engagement, scientific merit, conflicts of interest, and red lines.
• A public disclosure system documenting research plans, funding sources, engagement processes, and data commitments.
• Engagement guidance and oversight, including evidence-based engagement expectations and Free, Prior, and Informed Consent where Indigenous or directly affected communities are involved.
• Independent scientific merit review options, particularly where no existing agency process applies, along with rapid-response protocols for changing scientific or political contexts.
• Accountability frameworks addressing liability, risk management, and norms for intellectual property and shared research outputs.
• A research question database elevating questions raised by communities, policymakers, and civil society into the research agenda itself.

These tools are designed to apply proportionally across modeling, laboratory studies, and outdoor experiments, recognizing that governance needs differ by context while core principles remain constant.

The Platform will support global legitimacy from the outset. Regional nodes will shape how governance is applied in different contexts, with Global South institutions playing leadership roles. Funding sources and governance processes will be publicly disclosed, and core tools will be openly licensed to prevent private control.

“The SGRG could ensure that governance grows alongside the science, building transparency, accountability, and collaboration from the beginning,” explained Dr. Arunabha Ghosh, CEEW CEO.  “Good governance does not slow research; it makes knowledge credible, inclusive, and useful for countries most vulnerable to climate impacts.”

As shared norms take shape, institutions that align with SGRG practices will be able to show how governance expectations are being met, access outside expert review where gaps exist, and draw on shared engagement guidance. The UK Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA), currently the largest public funder of SRM research through their Exploring Climate Cooling research programme, is committed to working collaboratively with SGRG to share learnings from research governance implementation thus far. The Exploring Climate Cooling programme team sees mutual benefit in cooperation with SGRG and will work towards ARIA being the first institutional adopter of SGRG principles and practices.

This announcement marks the beginning of a co-development phase. In the coming weeks, partners will finalize initial governance components and confirm additional nodal partners. An in-person convening will bring partners and experts together to co-draft the Research Governance Charter and agree on early implementation pathways. The official launch of the SGRG Platform is planned for July 2026.

“Solar geoengineering research activity is increasing, but the governance infrastructure has not kept pace,” said Richie Kaur, Senior Advocate at NRDC. “This effort is about closing that gap and making sure the research prioritizes public interests, not private profits.”