SRM Security Risks and Governance Issues
21 March 2026 | ZEROGeoengineering.com | NYU law and policy journal, Just Security, published an article in December 2025 discussing Solar Radiation Modification (SRM) as a commercial industry that is largely unregulated. The paper states: “…there are few rules for who can conduct SRM, where, at what scale, and with what safeguards.” The International Convention on Environmental Modification known as “ENMOD” is a 1976 United Nations treaty cited as a potentially applicable international agreement for SRM. The question of SRM being considered “hostile,” is raised and it’s noted that ENMOD has never been enforced and no violations against the treaty have ever been lodged.
The authors also point out that in the US, “private investment in SRM startups is growing, likely leading to a dynamic in which the private sector continues development and testing for SRM without any federal level regulation.”
“As the number of commercial actors in the largely unregulated arena of SRM grows, so do the security risks associated with this technology.”
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