Climate change is getting worse, and its effects on the environment and people’s livelihoods are becoming unbearable. The changing rainfall patterns, rising temperatures and other extreme weather events have made this crisis too hard to ignore.
Amid this climate crisis, governments and scientists worldwide are exploring every possible option to slow down the planetary warming and protect vulnerable communities.
The Sunlight Reflection Method (SRM), also known as Solar Radiation Modification or Solar Geoengineering, is among the ideas that are currently gaining attention, though with sharp criticism from scientists globally.
As a result, global experts are currently examining whether this type of technology could potentially mitigate rising temperatures.
What Exactly Is SRM?
These technological approaches are meant to cool the planet (Earth) by reflecting a small portion of sunlight or sun rays to space.
In simple terms, it reduces the amount of heat or radiation from reaching the surface of the Earth directly. Currently, this technology is at the trial level, and there are no large-scale outdoor trials ongoing.
But scientists argue that instead of directly addressing the actual root cause of climate change, SRM only attempts to cool the Earth through artificial atmospheric interventions.
Other proposed Methods
Stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) is a method of geoengineering technology whereby the reflective particles are injected into the stratosphere (higher or second layer of the atmosphere) to reduce the amount of sunlight hitting the Earth, cooling the planet and counteracting global warming driven by increasing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) concentrations.
Marine Cloud Brightening is a solar radiation management technique that involves adding small particles to clouds over oceans to increase their albedo, thereby counteracting temperature changes induced by carbon dioxide emissions.
Surface albedo modification, a set of ideas to produce a cooling effect by increasing the amount of light reflected from different surfaces. That is to say as painting rooftops white and planting various crop types to reflect more sunlight.
However, while the SRM technology may seem like a simple and quick solution, experts say that their climatic interactions are so complex and full of uncertainties because it cannot remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Uganda’s Position
Ugandan environmental expert Dr. Barirega Akankwasa, the Executive Director of the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), shared deeper concerns about this SRM technology, highlighting its possible risks on the delicate ecosystems, agriculture and water sources.
According to Akankwasa, altering Earth’s radiation balance could directly affect rainfall patterns across the continent and world at large. He said that since Africa relies heavily on predictable monsoon systems, any disruption could threaten food and water security for millions of people.
Still, he noted, sensitive ecosystems such as forests, wetlands, and major lakes like L. Victoria and L. Albert can suffer a shift in water levels, nutrient balance, worsening algal blooms or fish die-offs, as well as carbon sequestration, a process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide.
“Solar geoengineering is not the answer to the global climate crisis, adding that an effective and long-term solution lies in nature-based approaches,” he said.
Akankwasa explained that the world is still lagging in achieving the 1.5°C target, and there is no time to experiment with solutions that deal with symptoms without addressing the cause.
Moreover, he added, SRM does not address underlying causes like greenhouse gas buildup or pollution, meaning that while it might temporarily cool the planet, it could introduce new ecological instabilities.
“Restoring ecosystems remains the most effective strategy for mitigating climate change, enhancing adaptation and resilience of local communities, rather than depending on untested geoengineering methods,” he noted.
He noted that sensitive ecological systems, lakes, wetlands, rainforests, and grasslands, could face sudden stress. Lakes Victoria and Albert, in particular, could experience changes in water levels, nutrient cycles, fish populations, and algal activity.
Global Environmental Scientists Speak
During a media webinar hosted by SRM360, a non-profit organisation on solar engineering and its governance, leading climate scientists shared concerns similar to those of Uganda.
Prof. Peter Cox
Professor Peter Cox, the Director of the Global Systems Institute at the University of Exeter, stressed that SRM may temporarily cool the planet but does not tackle the real problem of GHG emissions accumulation.
“This risky approach should only be studied for research purposes, but not to be deployed as a climate solution,” said Cox. He further explained that such technology simply hides the symptoms of global warming without fixing the actual cause.
“Once SRM is started, then the world may have to keep using it for decades or even a century because stopping it suddenly may trigger a sharp and dangerous temperature spike, creating even worse damage,” Cox also cautioned.
He further believes SRM should only be studied so scientists understand it better, but it should not be deployed now. In his view, SRM is at best a last-resort emergency tool, and he hopes we never reach that point.
Dr. Marcos Regis da Silva
According to Dr. Marcos Regis da Silva, the Director of Policy Engagement at the Degrees Initiative, solar geoengineering is still at the experimental level and needs to be approached carefully.
He further highlighted the need for more research about SRM, explaining that some lessons from small projects in Latin America could help, but normally, local scientists lack access to resources such as fast computers and others to fully study regional impacts.
“Still, even global funding for SRM research goes toward the Global North, leaving so many vulnerable regions in the Global South with little support to conduct such research,” he said.
Dr. Thelma Krug
For Dr. Thelma Krug, who chairs the Global Climate Observing System under the World Meteorological Organisation, the Amazon plays a crucial role in water cycles and carbon storage.
“If SRM could temporarily reduce temperatures, its implications on agriculture, health, and vital ecosystems are unknown.
However, while the SRM technology may seem like a simple and quick solution, Ugandan environment experts it carries quite serious risks for ecosystems, agriculture and water sources.
AMCEN-20: Africa Takes a Stand
In July 2025, during the 20th African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN-20) in Nairobi-Kenya, Ugandan delegates, environmentalists and others from the African continent unanimously rejected solar geoengineering technologies, arguing that while SRM might slightly lower global temperatures.
The Ugandan delegation, led by Ambassador Eunice Kigenyi, the Chargé d’Affaires of the Uganda High Commission, defended its position, saying SRM technologies could suddenly disrupt ecosystems, alter rainfall patterns or even create geopolitical tensions, particularly in countries and regions already prone to climate change.
According to NEMA boss, SRM continues to generate debate, but the same technology has also drawn global consensus that the best reliable strategy to mitigate global warming is to reduce emissions, restore ecosystems and further strengthen community resilience.
“With a problem as complicated as climate change, SRM might look like a quick fix illusion of control, but it’s not a practical solution at all. It is more of a false sense of control than a real solution,” Akankwasa said.
