Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department has funded Stratospheric Aerosol Injection in the last three years.

The government has not funded any field-based Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI).

The Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) is an independent research body, and they are conducting cautious, controlled research aimed at improving understanding of the risks and impacts of Solar Radiation Modification (SRM). This will produce important information for decisions around the world.

ARIA’s programme includes laboratory-based research and some small-scale field trials to explore the fundamental science around SRM. This does not involve releasing materials into the stratosphere. All field trials will be subject to an environmental impact and legal assessment, which will be made publicly available before any outdoor experiment takes place. They will be limited in size, scale, and time-bound, so the effects dissipate within 24 hours or are fully reversible. ARIA are not funding experiments that release toxic materials to the environment.