Governing Solar Radiation Management in a Rapidly Changing Arctic

Watch the Recording

Global interest in climate interventions as a necessary action is approaching a “tipping point.” However, governance questions and justice considerations are not keeping pace with technical discussions. 

The remarkable track record of international collaboration in the Arctic suggests that the region could pioneer a governance framework for climate interventions, but current geopolitical tensions could hamper efforts to do so. In addition, Arctic Indigenous Peoples are not yet meaningfully included in shaping climate intervention discourses or governance.

The presentation draws on insights from a two-day workshop hosted by the Belfer Center’s Arctic Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School in late April 2025. The workshop brought together Indigenous, technical, academic, policy, and legal experts and practitioners to discuss the governance of research, testing, and potential deployment(s) of climate interventions in the Arctic. Read the workshop report. 

Spence delivered this presentation at the RFF and Harvard SRM Social Science Research Workshop in Washington, D.C., on September 5, 2026. Learn more about the workshop.