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Written question asked by Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative) on Wednesday, 10 June 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 16 June 2026 (named day). It was answered by Kanishka Narayan (Labour) on Tuesday, 16 June 2026 on behalf of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

Geoengineering: Expenditure

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 22 May 2026 to Question 1739 on Advanced Research and Invention Agency: Geoengineering, how much has her Department spent on investigating whether spraying seawater could increase the reflectivity of clouds.

Answer

The Advanced Research and Invention Agency’s (ARIA) ‘Exploring Climate Cooling’ programme has allocated £8.53 million of funding over 3 years to 3 projects that examine the effect of spraying seawater on cloud reflectivity. These projects focus on modelling, small-scale controlled outdoor experiments, and governance.

Any outdoor experiments will be subject to an environmental impact and legal assessment, which will be made publicly available before any outdoor experiment takes place. They will be limited in size, scale, and time-bound, so the effects dissipate within 24 hours or are fully reversible.

As set out in ARIA’s Framework Agreement, ARIA has unique operational freedoms, including over its research and project choice and its procedures. The government supports ARIA’s mission to fund transformational research programmes with long-term benefits.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
8818
Session
2026-27
Related items
Geoengineering: Expenditure
Friday, 26 June 2026
Written questions
House of Commons
Subjects
Expenditure Geoengineering
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk