Reflect is a fossil- fuel con

Reflect without Reduce and Remove is a fossil- fuel con

The UK has just announced an investment of £50 million (AUS$ 103 million) for outdoor research into solar radiation management. 

Reflect is the third R of Climate Rescue’s 3Rs: Reduce, Remove and Reflect. 
​
Reflect provides instant cooling. The conceptual chart below shows why instant cooling is necessary to bridge the delay between when we start reducing and removing greenhouse gases, and when those actions start to have an impact.

Reflecting excess sunlight is necessary for three reasons: 

• Burning fossil fuels - in particular coal and oil - releases aerosols that reflect sunlight. Globally, burning fossil fuels is currently creating somewhere between 0.4 to 1.5°C of cooling. As such, reducing fossil fuel emissions would see average temperatures jump to an equivalent amount of warming.
• We are already too hot. Current suffering and ecological destruction created by current heating is unacceptable. Moreover, current heating has set off positive feedback loops (methane release from thawing tundra, smoke from bushfires, etc) that are speeding up warming. 
• The world has lost “reflectivity” - also known as ‘albedo’ - due to the loss of sea ice and glaciers. Reduced cloud cover over land has also been observed. Cloud cover reflects sunlight.

Decades of effective campaigns for climate delay and denial plus current fossil fuel based aerosols mean that emissions reduction alone, even at emergency speed, can no longer avert a global climate catastrophe.

Politicians of the world have left it too late.

But while the Climate Rescue Accord advocates for research into Reflect, it only promotes Reflect in the context of the full suite of Climate Rescue, in other words: in combination with the other two Rs, Reduce - emergency reduction in emissions - and Remove - lowering current greenhouse gas concentrations.
Reflect without Reduce and Remove is a dangerous approach. Even if effective in the short term, greenhouse gas concentrations are currently at their highest ever - and continue to increase year by year. If these concentrations are not reversed, additional aerosols will be required to maintain the cooling effect, impacting rainfall and natural systems.

Days after the solar radiation announcement, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair called for a “fundamental rethink” of net zero policies, warning that present strategies may fall short in curbing climate risks. This seems very “on message” with the geoengineering announcement.

But to quote former British Chief Scientist Sir David King on Blair’s words: 
“Tony is right to highlight the need for innovation, investment and carbon removal. These are vital tools in our response. But framing the climate challenge as a choice between reducing emissions and developing new technologies is misleading. We need to do both – simultaneously and urgently. At the Climate Crisis Advisory Group, we call this the 4R Strategy: Reduce emissions, Remove greenhouse gases, Repair critical ecosystems, and build Resilience. These are not optional elements; they are the foundation of a manageable future. Treating them as alternatives risks delaying action we cannot afford to postpone.”

In summary: If we want a safe future for ourselves and our children, we must start advocating for Reduce along with Reflect and Remove..
​
Links and related content:

• The UK announces it’s researching solar radiation management
• Tony Blair calls for a fundamental rethink of net zero policies.
• Climate Scientist Sir David King’s response to Tony Blair’s statement
• The Climate Rescue Accord’s position on the 3Rs
• The Nine Media headline puts it perfectly: As the world cooks, why have our political leaders gone cold on global warming?
• Deny and delay: What’s the Atlas Network been up to in Australia?

Ketan Joshi does a brilliant job analysing the Albanese Government’s climate impact. As you might expect, it’s not good.