Climate experts argue against banning geoengineering research as planet already faces unintentional climate modification

Two prominent climate policy experts are pushing back against efforts to ban geoengineering research, arguing that humanity has already been inadvertently geoengineering the planet for centuries through fossil fuel emissions—and now needs to study deliberate interventions to address the crisis.

The debate gained unexpected political attention when Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene recently held a congressional hearing on her proposed bill to prohibit research into geoengineering technologies. These controversial climate interventions include methods like releasing reflective particles into the atmosphere to deflect sunlight and cool the planet. While Greene’s concern about human interference with planetary systems marked an unusual Republican stance on environmental issues, the authors argue her approach misses a crucial point.

Craig Segall, former deputy executive officer of the California Air Resources Board, and Baroness Bryony Worthington, a UK House of Lords member with over 25 years of climate policy experience, contend that centuries of burning fossil fuels have already constituted a massive, uncontrolled geoengineering experiment. The greenhouse gases released have fundamentally altered Earth’s climate system, creating the overheating crisis we face today.

Rather than banning research outright, they advocate for carefully studying these technologies as potential tools to buy time during the critical energy transition period. The authors emphasize that policymakers worldwide are grappling with this urgent question: Should we deliberately explore climate interventions to cool the planet while renewable energy systems scale up? Their argument suggests that responsible research, not prohibition, is essential for managing the climate risks humanity has already set in motion.