At a national convening in Accra on 11 June 2025, AbibiNsoma Foundation, FIDEP Foundation and civil society partners, issued a collective call for transparent, accountable, democratic and restrictive governance of emerging climate technologies.

The focus of the meeting was the growing global push toward Solar Radiation Modification (SRM), a form of geoengineering that proposes to reflect a portion of solar radiation back into space to presumably cool the planet. Civil society groups urged Ghana to reject these high-risk techno-fixes and lead in advocating for a global Non-Use Agreement on solar geoengineering.

Participants raised their concerns over the nature of SRM research and its disproportionate risks to climate-vulnerable communities in Ghana. The scientific consensus is increasingly clear: SRM does not address the root causes of climate change and while instead introducing new layers of severe risk. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC AR6, 2022) explicitly states that SRM poses substantial unknowns and “does not provide a long-term solution to climate change.” It also notes the risk of “termination shock,” where a sudden halt in SRM could lead to abrupt and catastrophic temperature increases. According to a 2023 report by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), SRM scenarios could alter regional precipitation patterns by up to 20%, particularly in equatorial regions, increasing the likelihood of droughts in parts of Africa and Asia.

A 2021 review by Professor Frank Biermann (Utrecht University) published in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment cautions that solar geoengineering could “undermine international stability and cooperation,” warning that it lacks the institutional, ethical, and legal foundations necessary for safe deployment.

Leading climate scientist Dr. Kevin Anderson (University of Manchester) argues that SRM proposals serve as a dangerous distraction from decarbonization, while Dr. Aarti Gupta (Wageningen University) has emphasized the “democratic deficit” in current SRM discussions, where voices from the Global South are systematically excluded.

Research published in Environmental Research Letters by Dr. Simone Tilmes (National Center for Atmospheric Research) finds that SRM could reduce the West African monsoon by as much as 15%, affecting agricultural productivity and food security for over 300 million people. These findings underline the urgent need for both national and multilateral prohibitions and agreements grounded in the precautionary principle.

CSO groups in Ghana hence used this workshop to reaffirm their support for the global Non-Use Agreement on Solar Geoengineering, calling on the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), the Environmental Protection Agency, and Ghana’s UNEA-7 delegates to champion a pan African position that reflects Africa’s developmental realities, climate vulnerabilities, and ecological sovereignty.

The workshop also highlighted the need for expanded civil society engagement. Journalists, community organizers, and youth leaders committed to tracking geoengineering developments, enhancing public understanding, and integrating precaution into climate governance frameworks. A national communiqué and roadmap will be developed and submitted to key national and regional bodies ahead of UNEA-7 and COP30.

In a world already overwhelmed by climate-driven displacement and biodiversity loss, it is essential that our response remains grounded in equity, science, and democratic accountability. Solar geoengineering is not a climate solution. It is a technological gamble that the people of Africa cannot afford.

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The AbibiNsoma Foundation; Email: [email protected] or  FIDEP Foundation: [email protected].