Africa is Not a Testing Ground for Geology Engineering
Chukwumerije Okereke: Professor of Global Governance at the University of Bristol and co-director of the Climate and Development Centre at Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike.
Nnimmo Bassey: Director of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation.
Africa is suffering the worst consequences of the climate crisis, despite not contributing to it. As temperatures rise, rainfall patterns become erratic, droughts occur, and floods devastate communities and ecosystems across the continent, those most responsible for global warming in the West are preparing plans to test theoretical climate solutions in African countries. This gamble with the continent’s future—and that of the planet—is a dangerous act of climate injustice and an affront to African leaders, many of whom have publicly expressed their concerns about the promotion and normalization of such technologies.
Perhaps the most alarming and disturbing development is the increasing efforts to study and implement solar geoengineering (also known as solar radiation modification, or SRM), a set of high-risk technologies aimed at reflecting sunlight back into space to cool the planet. This strategy does not address the underlying causes of climate change and fails to provide a long-term solution for adaptation. Instead, it temporarily addresses symptoms while potentially causing unforeseen—and possibly catastrophic—consequences.
The risks associated with solar geoengineering are profound, especially in climate-vulnerable Africa. Solar radiation modification could alter rainfall patterns and interfere with monsoons, jeopardizing food systems and leading to the displacement of local communities and ecosystem collapse. Furthermore, the prospect of external forces testing such interventions on a planetary scale in African countries resonates with the historical legacy of harmful medical, agricultural, and economic experiments on Black and local communities.
Overall, the rush by the Global North to expand solar geoengineering research in the Global South raises serious concerns about power, equity, and justice in global climate governance—particularly over who sets the research agenda. While some of the largest funders of solar radiation modification technologies have committed to engaging African scientists in knowledge production, it is crucial to recognize whose interests will be served by this research trajectory. African scientists are increasingly attracted to initiatives largely funded and shaped by actors in the Global North. The result is a growing mismatch: African researchers provide knowledge, data, and legitimacy, but real decisions are made elsewhere.
Solar radiation modification research is not merely a scientific matter; it raises moral, ethical, and political questions that must not be ignored. Is it acceptable for us to manipulate the Earth’s thermostat? Who decides what levels of cooling might be "safe"? How can important decisions be made without accountability mechanisms or the consent of those most affected? Who is responsible if things go wrong, or if the consequences cross borders? The most critical question: who controls the technology and bears its costs?
We must acknowledge that solar radiation modification can never be neutral: this technology influences policy priorities, legitimizes certain approaches, and affects real-world outcomes. Spending money on solar radiation modification research while failing to meet climate finance commitments or the loss and damage fund established at the 2022 UN Climate Change Conference in Sharm El Sheikh is shortsighted and dangerous.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned that solar radiation modification measures "face forms of uncertainty and substantial knowledge gaps, as well as major risks." The Convention on Biological Diversity agreed in 2010 to a de facto moratorium on solar geoengineering— a position reaffirmed last year—acknowledging the serious threats it poses to biodiversity and local communities. More than 560 academics from over 67 countries have signed an open letter calling for a global non-use agreement on solar geoengineering. This has sparked a global movement, with over 2,000 civil society organizations and 4,700 individuals supporting the petition.
Solar geoengineering could also serve as a pretext to continue delaying emission reductions. By creating the illusion of a technological solution, it allows governments and corporations to avoid the hard work of transforming energy systems and ending reliance on fossil fuels.
There are no shortcuts to a healthy planet. Addressing the climate crisis requires systematic change and prioritizing those most affected, positioning them as leaders in climate action rather than as test subjects for theoretical technologies. Africa is already doing this precisely by implementing fair and just climate solutions such as agroecology, renewable energy, and community-led efforts for ecosystem restoration and adaptation.
The idea of considering solar geoengineering a necessary evil or a last resort for a warming planet is far from reality. It is, rather, a potentially dangerous strategy that drains funding and support from real solutions. Africa is not a laboratory, and we will not stand idly by while the future of our continent is jeopardized. Africans must demonstrate leadership and solidarity in rejecting theoretical climate technologies that serve the interests of a few at the expense of many.
