(SQAUK) – In response to increasing concerns about climate change, solar radiation management (SRM) has become a significant area of research in geoengineering. According to government publications online, SRM involves a set of theoretical strategies to reflect a portion of the sun’s energy into space to reduce global temperatures. The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), established by Congress in 1990, is crucial in coordinating federal research on international environmental changes, including SRM. The government spends billions of dollars a year spraying nanoparticles into the sky using stratospheric aerosol injection, and US taxpayers are fronting the bill.
The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) is a collaborative effort that unites 13 federal agencies to tackle the challenges of global environmental changes. The USGCRP promotes research that informs policy and decision-making processes by employing a comprehensive approach.
The USGCRP’s budget reflects its commitment to addressing global change. For Fiscal Year 2023, the program’s budget crosscut totaled approximately $5.1 billion, distributed among its member agencies. These agencies include:
- Department of Agriculture (USDA)
- Department of Commerce (DOC)
- Department of Energy (DOE)
- Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
- Department of the Interior (DOI)
- Department of Transportation (DOT)
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
- National Science Foundation (NSF)
- Smithsonian Institution (SI)
- and others.
The USGCRP experienced a significant revival during the Obama administration. The 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act, signed by President Obama, reversed a trend of declining funding for the USGCRP, marking the beginning of a new era for the program. The Recovery Act provided an additional boost, and the 2011 Budget sustained this commitment with a substantial increase, ensuring the program’s continued growth trajectory.
The recent reports from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) emphasize the importance of proceeding cautiously with SRM (solar radiation management) research. The OSTP stresses that while SRM is not a substitute for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, it could play a role in a broader strategy to mitigate climate risks. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine also support a research program that will improve policymakers’ understanding of options for addressing climate change.
The USGCRP’s involvement in SRM research underscores the importance of a coordinated, interdisciplinary approach to understanding and mitigating climate change impacts. With its substantial budget and the collective expertise of its member agencies, the USGCRP is well-positioned to advance our knowledge of SRM and its potential role in geoengineering solutions for a sustainable future.
