FOI release

FOI2025/00681: NERC’s Role in the Exploring Climate Cooling Programme

Some or all of the information requested was not provided because we didn't hold it.

Case reference FOI2025/00681

Received 22 July 2025

Published 29 September 2025

Request

Request Received: 22 July 2025

I am requesting information directly related to NERC’s role in funding and coordinating the Exploring Climate Cooling Programme, in partnership with ARIA.

Please provide:

1. A breakdown of the projects funded under NERC’s portion of the £11 million allocation, including project titles and lead institutions.

2. Confirmation of which projects involve:

  • Stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI)

  • Cloud brightening

  • Cirrus cloud thinning

  • Arctic sea-ice thickening or related field trials

3. Whether NERC holds any environmental impact assessments, governance protocols, or ethical oversight documentation for these activities.

4. Whether any private companies or contractors are involved in funded projects.

5. Any NERC-held communications with:

  • ARIA

  • Met Office

  • UK Space Agency

  • University of Bristol, Cambridge, Oxford, or Edinburgh

  • Or external climate engineering firms

This request is scoped only to NERC’s direct involvement and should fall well within cost and processing limits.

Response

Response Sent: 14 August 2025

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) does not hold any information relevant to your request. Please see the information below.

The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) has not provided any funding for the ARIA Exploring Climate Cooling programme, is not involved in the coordination, nor are NERC responsible for an allocation of the funding available to this programme. As such, the information you have requested is not held by UKRI.

While NERC are working alongside the ARIA Exploring Climate Cooling programme because of the similarities of the work with some ongoing NERC programmes, our investments are independent of ARIA’s. Details of these programmes, and advice on how to view funded projects related to this topic, were provided in response to your request FOI2025/00606.

We note that a significant amount of information about the Exploring Climate Cooling programme is available here, including some FAQs and details of funded projects. For specific information on any of these projects, you may wish to reach out to the project lead or ARIA themselves.

Documents

This is UK Research and Innovation's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.

You can browse our other responses or make a new FOI request.