About

Welcome to the SCoPEx Advisory Committee website. This information is intended to provide transparency into the work of the SCoPEx Advisory Committee, which functioned from July 2019 – March 2024. The Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment was a scientific experiment run by Harvard University researchers to advance understanding of stratospheric aerosols that could be relevant to solar geoengineering. The independent Advisory Committee was established to provide advice on the research and governance of SCoPEx.

Final Update: March 18, 2024

In late 2023, the Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment (SCoPEx) Research Team communicated their intention to suspend the SCoPEx project. Accordingly, the SCoPExAdvisory Committee has synthesized its work to date in a final report and will conclude its work as of March 18, 2024.

Harvard University established the SCoPEx Advisory Committee to provide governance and oversight for the SCoPEx project. SCoPEx was one of the first proposed outdoor experiments to advance understanding of stratospheric chemistry and physics as they relate to solar radiation management (SRM) or solar geoengineering. Through a consensus process, the Advisory Committee developed a comprehensive framework to inform its recommendations for Harvard University. The framework considers the technical, legal, economic, and societal dimensions of the proposed experiment.

The final report providing the governance framework, timeline, and full documentation of the committee’s work can can be found here.

The Advisory Committee has worked alongside the Research Team as the SCoPEx project evolved. Over the course of its work, the Committee has:

  • Completed an engineering and safety review of the launch platform;
  • Conducted a review of the funding structure for the SCoPEx project to identify any potential conflicts of interest;
  • Prepared guidelines for a local engagement process in any potential launch location(s); and
  • Completed a two-stage scientific peer review of the proposed experiment design and goals.

As Harvard and the SCoPEx Research Team evaluate next steps, the Advisory Committee makes the following recommendations:

  • Harvard and the Research Team should identify and evaluate next steps in an open, transparent, and accessible manner, including identifying clear criteria and decision points for a launch and any subsequent activities.
  • If any flight of the project platform is to occur, the Research team should conduct an robust engagement process with the members of the local community(ies) where the launch may take place. This engagement process should, at a minimum, adhere to the engagement framework developed by the Advisory Committee.
  • If Harvard and/or the Research Team move forward with solar geongineering research, the University should re-establish a governance process for that work, either independently or in accordance with any accepted norms and practices, if they have been established.