Held in Cape Town in May, the Forum was the largest and most diverse gathering to date focused on solar radiation modification (SRM).
SRM, or solar geoengineering, is a possible means to reduce the impacts of climate change. The decision to use it or reject it could be one of the biggest decisions that humanity will face.
The Degrees Global Forum convened researchers, policymakers, civil society groups, NGO representatives, and thought leaders to discuss the scientific, social, and political dimensions of SRM.
This was a truly global gathering, with 159 attendees hailing from the Global North (representing 18 countries) and 141 from the Global South (representing 31 countries). Degrees was able to bring nearly 70 of our funded researchers to the Forum, thanks to the generosity of our supporters and partners.
The week featured dynamic formats: plenaries, academic talks, panels sessions, fishbowl discussions and more than 90 posters. There were also sessions introducing new initiatives across the globe in the SRM space.
Jackie Kado, Executive Director of the Network of African Science Academies (NASAC) and Trustee of the Degrees Initiative, opened the Forum. She said: “SRM is a global issue; it’s the same category where we put climate change. I hope that you will leave not just with new ideas and new friends, but a new perspective on what SRM means for the continent [of Africa].”
The opening plenary then included comments from Thelma Krug, Former Vice-Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and Pascal Lamy, Chair of the Climate Overshoot Commission and former Director-General of the World Trade Organization.
The majority of sessions were recorded, either as video or audio, which you can access via our YouTube channel or via the Forum agenda. Event media partners SRM360 also provided daily updates and summaries of all the sessions.
A chance to share
Surrounding the Forum were also several special sessions. The 15th annual workshop of the Geoengineering Model Intercomparison Project (GeoMIP) was held the day after the Forum, covering advances in climate model simulations of SRM.
Before the Forum’s opening plenary, Degrees-funded teams gathered for a day of networking and ideas sharing. Many of these researchers also participated in dialogues with policymakers from their regions, with sessions for African, Asian, and Latin American & Caribbean leaders. These included a minister for climate change and sustainability, an assistant secretary for a climate change commission, and a governor of a policy institute, who were keen to learn more about the science of SRM and how any deployment could affect key issues for them, such as food and water security.
Degrees-funded researcher Dr Amadou Coulibaly, from the Institut Polytechnique Rural de Formation et de Recherche Appliquée in Mali, said: “Most of time we are doing conferences or workshops between only researchers, but we don’t know what the concern from our stakeholders is. Here we have this chance to hear from them what their concerns are; what they are waiting for from us.”
Moving forward
In the final session, Degrees awarded the inaugural Saleemul Huq Prize for the best Global South early-career presentation at the Forum. The late Professor Huq was one of the most influential people working on climate change globally and was a long-time Trustee of the Degrees Initiative.
The winner was Trisha Patel, form the University of Cape Town. Trisha was also invited to give the closing speech of the Forum. She said: “SRM is not the kind of topic most people plan to spend their careers on, and frankly, it’s not the kind of climate option many of us wish needed to exist. But the fact that we are here – grappling with something so complex, ethically fraught, and full of unknowns – is a reflection of where we are globally. And if we are going to be having these conversations, I’m really glad it’s happening like this.”
Reflecting on the Forum, Degrees CEO and Founder Andy Parker said: “The thing that surprised me most has been the degree of interaction between people of different backgrounds from different sectors. For example, it’s so exciting to see a policymaker from South America talking about science with an African scientist – these are connections that wouldn’t otherwise have happened.
“The future of SRM is something between a complete ban and it being used. We just don’t know, and that’s why we have conferences like this. The biggest takeaway from this is that I am all the more determined to do it again and even bigger in 2027.”
