Global Scans · Geoengineering · Weekly Summary

A global catastrophic risk is a hypothetical future event that has the potential to damage human well-being on a global scale. Some events could cripple or destroy modern civilization. Any event that could cause human extinction is known as an existential risk.

• [New] New research from Washington University challenged earlier claims that diamond dust could serve as an effective solar geoengineering material. Solar Geoengineering Updates
• [New] NRDC holds that as climate risks intensify and temperature thresholds near or exceed 1.5 °C, societies may need to examine a full spectrum of responses, including solar geoengineering. Solar Geoengineering Updates
• If a geoengineering project went awry it could contribute to air pollution and ozone loss, or have dramatic effects on weather patterns, such as disrupting monsoons in populous South and East Asia. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
• How the IPCC and other authoritative bodies could responsibly assess the opportunities, limitations and risks of solar geoengineering would itself arguably be a form of governance, one that remains underexplored. PubMed Central (PMC)

Last updated: 08 July 2026