Journal of Experimental Political Science
Balanced Messaging about Solar Geoengineering does not Reduce Average Support for Emissions Reductions
- Damian Antoan
- Nicholas Chiang
- Spencer Dearman
- Santiago Espejel
- Manarldeen Fajors
- Darina Huang
- Elliott Husseman
- Justin Lavigne
- Isabella Lin
- Neel Maheshwari
- Zidane Marinez
- George Nottley
- Julien Perce
- Ezra Santos
- Natasha Sokhi
- Carlos Sole
- Adam Tuchler
- Jay Udinsky
- Zikai Li
- Andrew C. Eggers
2025-09-11
Solar geoengineering offers a speculative means to cool the planet by reflecting solar radiation into space. While some research suggests that awareness of solar geoengineering could reduce public support for decarbonization through a moral hazard mechanism, other studies indicate that it could serve as a “clarion call” that motivates further action. Using a pre-registered factorial design, we assess how sharing balanced information on solar geoengineering affects attitudes toward decarbonization policies and climate attitudes among 2,509 US residents. We do not find that solar geoengineering information affects support for decarbonization on average, though it may increase support among initially less supportive subgroups; moreover, this information tends to increase the perception that climate change is a daunting problem that cannot be resolved without decarbonization. Our results suggest that concerns about moral hazard should not discourage research on solar geoengineering – as long as the public encounters realistic messages about solar geoengineering’s role.