Global System Map

Solar Geoengineering
as a Planetary System

A cross-layer map of solar geoengineering as a contested planetary intervention system — from agenda formation and atmospheric capability to Earth-system observation, commercialization incentives, non-use coalitions, multilateral governance, and institutional translation.

“Solar geoengineering is not a bounded technology choice. It is a planetary governance problem before it is ever a deployable tool.”

Interpretive Key

How to Read This Map

Systemic Reading

Each sublayer below represents a functional role in the emergence, legitimation, technical capability, monitoring, contestation, governance, or institutional translation of solar geoengineering. Institutions are organized as a global counterparty universe, not as pre-committed partners or aligned actors.

c-ECO Reading

The c-ECO/TDR architecture interprets solar geoengineering as a planetary-scale intervention problem characterized by deep uncertainty, transboundary exposure, justice asymmetry, and contested legitimacy. The relevant logic is ex-ante constraint, not ex-post remediation.

Core Mechanism

Cross-Layer Logic

1
Agenda Formation

Research agendas, advocacy, start-ups, and public narratives normalize consideration of SRM.

2
Atmospheric Capability

Modeling, aerosols, delivery concepts, and experimental pathways make intervention technically imaginable.

3
Earth-System Exposure

Planetary monitoring and impact assessment reveal transboundary climate, biodiversity, water, and justice implications.

4
Political Economy

Public funding, philanthropy, commercialization, and private actors shape trajectories of normalization or escalation.

5
Contest & Non-Use

Civil society, Indigenous voices, justice networks, and academic coalitions articulate risks, inequities, and non-use claims.

6
State & Multilateral Authority

Governments, treaty bodies, and intergovernmental forums determine whether SRM is regulated, rejected, or normalized.

7
Institutional Translation

Ethics, evidence review, non-use architecture, and legal translation convert controversy into durable governance positions.

Layered Architecture

Global Counterparty Universe

Each sublayer below contains twenty-four institutions or entities distributed across multiple world regions and positions in the solar geoengineering debate.

Sublayer 1

Agenda Formation, R&D & Public Debate Drivers

These institutions shape the research agenda, public framing, speculative legitimacy, and early normalization of solar geoengineering.

Function in c-ECO: agenda formation, epistemic acceleration, and early-path dependency.
DGDegrees Initiative
S3SRM360
ARARIA
MSMake Sunsets
SSStardust Solutions
SLSilverLining
HBHarvard Solar Geoengineering Research Program
CRCornell University
UCUniversity of Chicago
RURutgers University
UWUniversity of Washington
YLYale University
STStanford University
OXUniversity of Oxford
CMUniversity of Cambridge
ICImperial College London
LDUniversity of Leeds
BRUniversity of Bristol
EZETH Zurich
UTUtrecht University
WGWageningen University
UPUppsala University
C2Carnegie Climate Governance Initiative
EDEnvironmental Defense Fund
Sublayer 2

Atmospheric Science, Delivery & Experimental Capability

This layer includes atmospheric science institutions, Earth-system modelers, and experimental capability relevant to aerosols, circulation, and intervention pathways.

Function in c-ECO: technical feasibility narratives, experimental capacity, and intervention imaginaries.
NSNASA
NONOAA
NCNCAR
EAESA
CMCopernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service
ECECMWF
MOMet Office Hadley Centre
MPMax Planck Institute for Meteorology
DLDLR
CNCNRS
CBUniversity of Colorado Boulder
HVHarvard University
OXUniversity of Oxford
CMUniversity of Cambridge
LDUniversity of Leeds
ICImperial College London
EZETH Zurich
CSCSIRO
JMJAMSTEC
JXJAXA
ISISRO
ECEnvironment and Climate Change Canada
WMWorld Meteorological Organization
SCSCoPEx
Sublayer 3

Earth-System Observation & Impact Assessment

These institutions evaluate transboundary risks, environmental change, biodiversity consequences, climate dynamics, and distributional impacts.

Function in c-ECO: planetary exposure mapping, uncertainty characterization, and impact interpretation.
IPIPCC
IBIPBES
UNUNEP
WMWMO
WRWorld Resources Institute
FAFAO
WHWHO
UGUSGS
NENOAA National Centers
EONASA Earth Observatory
C3Copernicus Climate Change Service
CAClimate Analytics
IRIRI Columbia
CICICERO
PIPIK
SRStockholm Resilience Centre
IIIIASA
FEFuture Earth
GCGlobal Carbon Project
GAGlobal Center on Adaptation
CCClimate Central
WWWorld Weather Attribution
CVClimate Vulnerable Forum
CGCGIAR
Sublayer 4

Political Economy, Finance & Commercialization Incentives

This layer captures public funding, philanthropy, market narratives, commercialization attempts, and the institutions that may intensify or normalize the field.

Function in c-ECO: incentive formation, private escalation, and speculative market entry.
ARARIA
DGDegrees Initiative
SLSilverLining
MSMake Sunsets
SSStardust Solutions
CBCall for Balance
OPOpen Philanthropy
QCQuadrature Climate Foundation
GFGrantham Foundation
FPFounders Pledge
BEBreakthrough Energy
VCVenture Capital Climate-Tech Ecosystems
MCMarketed Cooling Credits
SRSRM Funding Networks
PRPrivate Research Consortia
CSCommercial Startup Accelerators
UKUK Public Research Funding Ecosystem
USUS Philanthropic Climate Funding Networks
EUEU Debate and Foresight Funding Networks
NGNorth Atlantic Geoengineering Networks
ISInvestor Signaling Ecosystems
RDResearch Commercialization Offices
SPSpeculative Patent Ecosystems
MDMedia Amplification Networks
Sublayer 5

Opposition, Justice & Non-Use Coalitions

These actors articulate risk, justice, Indigenous, ecological, and non-use arguments against the development and future deployment of solar geoengineering.

Function in c-ECO: counter-legitimation, justice framing, and non-use norm formation.
HMHOME Alliance
ETETC Group
CNClimate Action Network
SCSaami Council
IEIndigenous Environmental Network
TWThird World Network
FOFriends of the Earth International
OCOil Change International
LVLa Via Campesina
CICenter for International Environmental Law
GMGeoengineering Monitor
SGSolar Geoengineering Non-Use Agreement
GFGlobal Forest Coalition
BWBiofuelwatch
CJClimate Justice Alliance
ICIndigenous Climate Action
TGTebtebba
GPGreenpeace International
CACorporate Accountability
35350.org
DADon't Geoengineer Africa
PIPacific Climate Justice Networks
HRHuman Rights Climate Networks
MJMovement for Climate Justice
Sublayer 6

States, Multilateral Governance & Legal Forums

This layer includes governments, treaty arenas, and intergovernmental bodies that can reject, restrict, regulate, or normalize solar geoengineering.

Function in c-ECO: public authority, treaty positioning, moratoria, and non-use governance pathways.
AMAMCEN
AGAfrican Group at UNEP
EPEuropean Parliament
ECEuropean Commission
CBConvention on Biological Diversity
UAUNEA
MXGovernment of Mexico
SESEMARNAT
DEGovernment of Germany
UBUmweltbundesamt
VUGovernment of Vanuatu
MSMelanesian Spearhead Group
OAOACPS
UNUN General Assembly
ICInternational Court of Justice
UEUNEP
UFUNFCCC
UHUN Human Rights Council
MOMontreal Protocol Institutions
OEOECD
PAPacific Island State Coalitions
GLGlobal South Negotiating Blocs
EUEuropean Union Climate Institutions
AFAfrican Union Environmental Diplomacy Networks
Sublayer 7

Ethics, Evidence Review & Institutional Translation

This layer translates controversy into evidence reviews, ethics positions, legal analysis, and more durable institutional architectures such as non-use.

Function in c-ECO: norm codification, oversight logic, and ex-ante governance translation.
SGSolar Geoengineering Non-Use Agreement
SMScientific Advice Mechanism
GCGroup of Chief Scientific Advisors
EGEuropean Group on Ethics
NANational Academies of Sciences
RSRoyal Society
CICambridge Ethics & International Affairs Forums
TETransnational Environmental Law Networks
EREuropean Journal of Risk Regulation Networks
CGCarnegie Climate Governance Initiative
C2C2G Knowledge Networks
ELEnvironmental Law Academies
JLGlobal Justice & Law Scholars
NGNon-Use Governance Research Networks
TLTreaty Design & Legal Innovation Networks
PHPhilosophy of Technology Communities
GEGeoengineering Ethics Scholars
CLClimate Leadership Group Uppsala
CPCopernicus Institute
EPEnvironmental Policy Group Wageningen
CCClimate Change Leadership Group
LULegal-Precaution Networks
NUNon-Use Treaty Pathway Initiatives
PRPrecautionary Governance Forums
Interpretive Output

Governance Readout

What TDR Sees

Solar geoengineering is legible as a planetary intervention pathway characterized by deep uncertainty, transboundary exposure, lock-in risk, and a potentially fragile relationship between atmospheric intervention and multi-generational governance.

What c-ECO Adds

c-ECO translates uncertainty, justice asymmetry, legal ambiguity, and Earth-system exposure into ex-ante prudential logic. The key question is not only whether SRM can be studied, but whether it can ever become institutionally admissible under systemic-risk conditions.

Why This Matters

The debate is no longer just technical. It is increasingly shaped by non-use claims, precautionary reasoning, Global South opposition, and the recognition that planetary-scale intervention may be politically, ethically, and legally harder to govern than to imagine.

Map Ex-Ante Governance in Planetary Intervention Systems

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