Climate change mitigation strategies focus on green technology and solar radiation modification

Global efforts to combat climate change are currently split between decarbonization through green technology and the emerging policy discussion of solar radiation modification (SRM).

Innovations in green energy aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which the International Energy Agency identifies as a primary driver of warming. Key developments include perovskite and tandem solar cells designed to increase efficiency, green hydrogen for hard-to-electrify industries like steel and shipping, and next-generation energy storage solutions to balance renewable energy supply and demand.

Concurrently, the concept of SRM has moved into serious policy conversations as a method to deliberately cool the Earth. Techniques under discussion include stratospheric aerosol injection, cirrus cloud thinning, and marine cloud brightening. While SRM is considered relatively financially feasible compared to the scale of required emissions cuts, experts note that deploying these technologies responsibly requires significant technical and financial capacity. Vulnerable nations, such as Pakistan, currently have limited participation in these global SRM discussions.