Whose Sun Is It?

There is a broad concensus that the effects of global heating would be devastating for the planet and its peoples. The US National Academy of Sciences (NAS) advocates spending between $100m and $200m over 5 years, investigating the possible utility of Solar geoengineering to counter climate change (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/25/top-us-scientists-back-100m-geoengineering-research-proposal ). Solar engineering aims to cool the planet by processes such as preventing as much sunlight reaching the surface and/or reflecting more of it back into space. The NAS argument is that, the consequences of climate change would be so dire, that all options must be considered. There are (at least) three problems with these proposals. The first is that Solar geoengineering might well have complex effects on weather patterns over the entire planet. It seems a tad arrogant to ignore risks to people living outside the US, who would presumably not have been asked for their consent. The second is that other countries might be encouraged to do their own Solar geoengineering, focusing only on 'local' benefits. Who is going to coordinate and regulate this? The third problem is that Solar geoengineering 'solutions' might act as a green light for people to carry on as they are (continuing to release 'greenhouse gases' into the atmosphere, deforest, bottom trawl etc). I am sure that NAS advocates see Solar geoengineering as a solution of last resort but researching it is still problematic.