Silvia Ribeiro*
R
Recently, the UNAM announced that Because of their relevance, UNAM’s climate studies receive international funding
. These are two studies on the effects of solar geoengineering in Mexico, one on biodiversity and the other on heat waves (https://tinyurl.com/3fz9d2sz).
In fact, more than getting funding for its relevance
it would be more appropriate to mention that UNAM was hired by the United Kingdom’s private Enterprise Initiative (ID), to put another point on the map of its global crusade for this dangerous technology.
Solar geoengineering involves many risks, both environmental, social, economic and geopolitical. If used on a scale large enough to change the global climate, it would cause severe droughts and floods, especially in the tropics. The dangers of using this type of climate manipulation are so great and absurd, as well as its democratic and fair management impossible, that more than 500 scientists from 61 countries from 2022 call for the establishment of an international agreement on solar non-use. geoengineering (https://www.solargeoeng.org).
Any type of geoengineering does not address the causes of climate change, it only aims to reduce some symptoms, but it does nothing to prevent the release of greenhouse gases, and therefore a ‘ creating a captive market for those who control the technology.
The founder and director of the Steps Initiative, Andy Parker, is a well-known advocate of solar geoengineering. His NGO, which is registered in the United Kingdom, has always been financed by super-millionaires or their foundations, especially by those connected to the titans of technology, for whom it is to treat the climate is not a continuation of their techno-solution mentality: it is not necessary. change the reasons, just create new technologies and do business. Parker began his career working on the UK Royal Society’s report on geoengineering, then represented that institution in trying (unsuccessfully) to block the UN Convention on Biological Diversity since establishing a moratorium on geoengineering in 2010.
He then founded the Solar Radiation Modification Management Initiative (SRMGI), which aimed to pay for conferences and activities in the global south, arguing that in this way he demonstrated the interest of the area in geoengineering.
Geoengineering has been – and still is – a proposal from most companies, militaries and scientists from the most polluted northern countries, the biggest historical causes of climate change. Most of the recommendations and research come from the United States. In this context, the SRMGI changed its name several times until the current, more impressive Steps Initiative.
It still receives funding from millionaires and their foundations, but now offers small subsidies to researchers at southern universities to conduct studies related to solar geoengineering. They are studies within frameworks decided by those who pay for them, narrow in scope and in many cases, with the special participation of geoengineering researchers from northern countries and using their evaluation models. It is not that universities in the south can do the climate studies they consider most appropriate and necessary, but only those related to the use of solar geoengineering.
This also helps ID to create a close group of academics, to whom they then offer other activities. of the community
of geoengineering and if they qualify, they will receive scholarships at universities in the north. From that group they choose some ambitious and politically close people, whom they finance to speak as representatives of the right from the global south, even though they already have a position there. the northern universities that promote geoengineering, such as Harvard University.
One of the most studied solar geoengineering proposals is the injection of sulfides or other aerosols into the stratosphere, also selected for studies at UNAM. It is a very controversial proposal because of the pollution and harmful effects involved. Also universally rejected by indigenous peoples, where the promoters have tried to do field tests. In Mexico, an American company began illegal experiments that it claimed were based on that technology. The government stopped them and announced that in 2023 solar geoengineering experiments would not be allowed in the country (https://tinyurl.com/bde9dpup).
This degree with Mexico has had a global impact and this is probably one of the reasons why the Degree Initiative came here specifically to hire UNAM. At the UN World Environment Assembly, February 2024, Mexico’s protective measure was an example, so that there was a proposal for studies
apparently neutral, that the United States, the United Kingdom and a few other countries intended to use it to promote solar geoengineering. A group of African researchers funded by ID came out to defend this proposal. On the other hand, African countries proposed to advance an agreement not to use solar geoengineering (https://tinyurl.com/3884sav5).
* Researcher at the ETC Group
The Conference
