Last week, during the UN Environmental Assembly in Nairobi, African countries spearheaded a successful resistance against a proposed resolution by Switzerland.
The resolution, widely perceived as an attempt to ease the decade-old moratorium on solar geoengineering, sparked heated debate among delegates.
The Swiss proposal sought to establish a framework for reconsidering the moratorium on solar geoengineering, a controversial method of reflecting sunlight into space to mitigate climate change.
However, African nations, expressing concerns over potential adverse effects on their continent, emerged as staunch opponents of the resolution.
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While some African countries initially supported the Swiss initiative, including Senegal, they ultimately shifted their stance in alignment with the broader African group’s apprehensions.
This collective resistance compelled the Swiss delegation to withdraw their resolution on the conference’s final day. Swiss officials clarified that their intention was merely to establish an expert working group to assess the risks and benefits of solar geoengineering technologies.
They emphasized the importance of maintaining international oversight in evaluating such approaches to climate intervention.