A war game designed to stress-test global responses to solar geoengineering ended in collapse, according to WIRED. The simulation, arranged by Leeds University researcher Danielle Young, brought together foreign-policy experts, scientists, military personnel, and former officials to negotiate international rules for technologies that would reflect sunlight to cool the planet. Within the first session, distrust and disinformation dominated: US and China players refused to sign any deal that constrained their national interests, and the talks fell apart amid accusations and mutual suspicion.
The stakes are not purely academic. Solar geoengineering is moving from a speculative niche toward commercial opportunity, with the US-Israeli startup Stardust Solutions raising $60 million and Elon Musk publicly endorsing the need for massive geoengineering. Yet the technology carries uneven risks, including predicted drying in sub-Saharan Africa and more intense tropical storms in the Atlantic, and its cooling effect would vanish if deployment stopped.
For businesses and investors, the war game's outcome is a cautionary tale. Participants described the talks as a “humiliating defeat,” and one US player called blocking a deal that might favor China a “humungous victory.” If real-world negotiations follow a similar path, companies developing solar geoengineering face not only scientific uncertainty but also a fragmented and geopolitically charged regulatory environment. The source notes that decisions may be needed much sooner than many policymakers expect—within the next decade, not 15 years out. That gap between commercial momentum and governance capacity is the central business risk.WIRED — They War-Gamed Dimming the Sun. It Went Even Worse Than You Think. Need write article. Need strict JSON. Need use source only. Need maybe