Ensuring a Safe and Secure Planet
We need better information and new approaches for near-term Earth system risks, to ensure economic and global security and protect communities and natural lands.
Earth System Risk
Rising meteorological extremes pose risks to energy security, economic competitiveness and public safety.
Reflecting Sunlight
Scientists have proposed methods to reduce heat and other risks in the atmosphere by reflecting sunlight from particles and clouds. Today we lack the scientific information and monitoring capabilities needed for the world to ensure our safety and security.
We are filling a critical gap in the response to Earth system changes.
Our Challenge
Escalating weather extremes and natural disasters are placing communities, industries and national and global security at risk. Changes in the atmosphere from reducing pollution may play a role in accelerating these changes. Scientists have proposed methods for reducing warming in the atmosphere to reduce these extremes. But today we lack critical information and observations needed to monitor and project the changes in the atmosphere and their effects on the Earth system. Ensuring a safe and secure future requires that we rapidly improve our understanding of the atmosphere.
Our Mission
SilverLining is dedicated to ensuring that society has the information and options needed to address near-term Earth system risk to protect our communities and natural systems for the future. This includes advancing our understanding of the atmosphere and potential human influences on it, including interventions to reflect sunlight. Like a medical foundation, we support research and innovation, policy advocacy and engagement — to ensure a safe and secure planet.
Featured
New Interactive Roadmap for Research
Escalating risks demand concerted efforts to better understand near-term Earth system changes and approaches to reducing warming directly by increasing the reflection of sunlight from the atmosphere. Our interactive roadmap is part of an evolving collaborative effort to chart a path to ensure a safe Earth system in time enough to matter.
Programs
SilverLining advances research and innovation to promote a safe and secure atmosphere and Earth system.
The Safe Earth System Research Initiative supports collaborative research efforts among leading experts and institutions to advance understanding of, and expand research capabilities for, near-term Earth system risk and possible responses.
SilverLining’s Platforms of Opportunity Program aims to bridge large, critical gaps in Earth system-relevant atmospheric observations that cannot be addressed by satellites alone by leveraging commercial and other existing ships and aircraft to carry instruments for atmospheric observations.
SilverLining partners with AWS and others to expand capacity and access for advanced research in a program that includes the first-ever full production Earth system model simulations on the cloud.
SilverLining promotes public sector investments in research and innovation on the atmosphere and Earth system and science-based decision-making to address near-term Earth system risks.
SilverLining promotes a national research effort in near-term Earth system risks and interventions to support scientific assessment of possible responses and projected warming.
SilverLining promotes public sector investments, open science and international cooperation in research and decision-making on the atmosphere and Earth system.
Featured
New Issue Brief with Atlantic Council
This issue brief, authored by the Atlantic Council and SilverLining, examines solar radiation modification (SRM) approaches and research needs, the potential risks and benefits of SRM as a near-term Earth system intervention, U.S. and international policy options for governance and decision-making and global security issues.
Recent Publications and Media
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SilverLining is one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2025
News Article, Mar. 2025
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AGU Films: How SilverLining is Studying Stratospheric Aerosols
Video, Dec. 2024
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BBC Panorama featuring High-altitude Observing Platform Explorer (HOPE)
Video, Dec. 2024
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NYTimes: The U.S. Is Building an Early Warning System to Detect Geoengineering
News Article, Nov. 2024
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Issue Brief with Atlantic Council: Accelerating Earth System Intervention Research to Improve Global Security
Issue Brief, Oct. 2024
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On World Ozone Day, there is HOPE: A new platform for observing the stratosphere
SilverLining Insights, Sept. 2024
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The Washington Post: We’ve been accidentally cooling the planet — and it’s about to stop
News Article, Jun. 2024
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Sarah Doherty: How aerosols brighten clouds — and cool the planet
TED Talk, Apr. 2024
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Aspen Ideas Festival: Sci-Fi or Reality? Talking Tomorrow’s Climate Tech
Video, Jun. 2024
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NYTimes: Warming Is Getting Worse. So They Just Tested a Way to Deflect the Sun.
News Article, Apr. 2024
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New York Times: The New Space Race is Causing New Pollution Problems
News Article, Jan. 2024
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Experts Underestimate How Fast Earth is Warming, Top Climate Scientist says in New Study
News Article, Nov. 2023
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The Hill: In the climate red zone, the US and EU are considering urgent interventions
News Article, Jul. 2023
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Climactic Change: “Cooling credits” are not a viable climate solution
Publication, Jul. 2023
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White House: Congressionally-Mandated Report on SRM
Report, Jun. 2023
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TED Talk: Emergency medicine for our climate fever
Video, Aug. 2019
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SilverLining @ COP26: Ricardo Pineda Guzman on Climate Intervention Research
Video Short, Dec. 2021
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SilverLining Report: Near-term Climate Risk & Intervention: a Roadmap for Research & International Cooperation
Report, Feb. 2023
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One Atmosphere: an Independent Expert Review on Solar Radiation Modification Research and Deployment
United Nations Environment Programme Report, Feb. 2023
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Volts: How to think about Solar Radiation Management
Podcast, Feb. 2023
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World Economic Forum: Climate intervention: an option for Global South to reduce near-term climate risk?
News Article, Nov. 2022
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AGU Films: University of Washington Marine Cloud Brightening Project
Video, Dec. 2021
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NYT: As Climate Disasters Pile Up, a Radical Proposal Gains Traction
News Article, Oct. 2020
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SilverLining Report: Ensuring a safe climate
Report, Feb. 2019
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C2ES Paper: Solar Climate Intervention: Options for international assessment and decision-making
Publication, Jul. 2020
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SilverLining White Paper: Climate Intervention: The case for research
Publication, Oct. 2020
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AWS On Air ft. Advancing Climate Research with AI
Video, Jun. 2022
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80,000 Hours: Kelly Wanser on Whether to Intervene Directly in Climate
Podcast, Mar. 2021
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Seattle Times: UW studies a drastic way to cool a warming planet — cloud ‘brightening’
News Article, Apr. 2024
Funders and Partners
Highlighting some of SilverLining’s key partners and funders
Help with critical efforts on Earth system safety and security.
To ensure a safe Earth system for the future, SilverLining works to rapidly advance understanding of near-term risks and possible responses. We need your help.
To connect with us regarding a grant or donation, email development (at) silverlining.ngo
To mail a gift, send checks to: SilverLining, 500 N Capitol St. NW, Suite 210, Washington, DC 20001
“We are in a life-or-death struggle for our own safety today and our survival tomorrow.”
-U.N. Secretary- General Antonio Guterres
“It will be necessary to take temporary corrective measures almost surely including temporary purposeful use of aerosols to avoid catastrophic implications.”
Climate scientist and activist Jim Hansen
“All too frequently, solar climate intervention is discussed among those who will not live to see the worst impacts of climate change… We must move forward on research and dialogue on this topic with a sense of urgency.”
Youth Call to Action on Solar Climate Intervention
“The removal of air pollution, either through air quality measures or because combustion processes are phased out to get rid of CO2, will result in an increase in the resulting rate of warming,”
Joeri Rogelj, Director of Research, Grantham Institute, Imperial College London
