Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the risks and benefits of solar radiation management technology; and what plans they have, if any, to increase funding of research into that technology.

The Government is continually monitoring the evidence base relating to Solar Radiation Management technologies (SRM). As set out in our public position statement on geo-engineering, our view is that SRM would produce changes in rainfall patterns and amounts. This would be likely to lead to winners and losers, with some regions suffering detrimental impacts.

The Government is not commissioning further research into SRM, but the World Climate Research Programme’s (WCRP’s) Geoengineering Model Intercomparison Project (GeoMIP), is investigating the effects which SRM would have on the climate.