The Understanding the Potential Impacts of SRM on Sub-Saharan Africa Request for Proposals (RFP) invites applications for research into how solar radiation modification (SRM) could shape regional climates, communities, and critical systems across Sub-Saharan Africa.
SRM refers to a set of approaches that could reduce global temperatures by reflecting a small portion of sunlight back into space. While these approaches are not a substitute for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, they raise important scientific, social, and ethical questions, particularly at regional scales where their potential impacts remain uncertain.
This RFP is supported by the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) and administered by the University of Exeter, a leading centre for climate science with expertise in Earth system modelling, climate risk, and potential climate interventions.
Researchers at Exeter have been at the forefront of efforts to explore how different climate scenarios, including emerging approaches such as SRM, could affect weather patterns, extreme events, and interconnected systems such as food, health, and energy. This work contributes to a growing evidence base on the potential consequences of SRM while highlighting the need for regionally specific research in areas most vulnerable to climate change.
The focus on Sub-Saharan Africa reflects both the region's vulnerability to climate change and significant gaps in current research. Climate impacts are already intensifying across the region, affecting agriculture, health, infrastructure, and livelihoods. At the same time, there is limited evidence on how SRM could interact with these existing challenges and influence future climate risks.
To help identify regional research priorities, the Alliance for Just Deliberation on Solar Geoengineering (DSG) and the Climate System Analysis Group at the University of Cape Town convened the Empowering New Voices in SRM workshop in South Africa in April 2026. Bringing together physical and social scientists alongside representatives from civil society organisations across Africa and beyond, the workshop explored key uncertainties surrounding SRM and its potential regional impacts.
A major outcome of the workshop was the development of a set of co-designed research questions that participants identified as priorities for further exploration. The discussions helped shape this RFP, which invites research on the potential effects of SRM on climate displacement and security, the just transition and renewable energy, extreme weather, food security and agriculture, and human health across Sub-Saharan Africa.
A central aim of the funding is to support new and diverse voices in this field, particularly researchers and institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa whose perspectives have historically been underrepresented in SRM research. The programme seeks to support inclusive, locally grounded research that reflects the priorities, knowledge, and experiences of affected communities.
Through this funding, we aim to strengthen the evidence base on the potential impacts of SRM in Sub-Saharan Africa and support research that can inform future scientific, policy, and societal discussions.