EU should ban space mirrors and other solar geoengineering, scientists say

Critics argue that geoengineering does not address the root of the problem of heat-trapping pollutants that smother the Earth. Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters

Europe should ban space mirrors, cloud whitening and other untested tools being touted to reflect the sun’s rays, the European Commission’s scientific advisers have said, but said the door should be left open for research into their development.

The scientists said the risks and benefits of solar radiation modification (SRM) – also known as solar geoengineering – were “highly uncertain”. They called for an EU-wide moratorium on using it as a way to offset global heating.