With global emissions still far from the trajectory needed to limit warming, SRM has drawn increasing scientific and governmental interest. If safely implemented, SRM could help limit warming, reduce harm to people and ecosystems, and provide time for the infrastructure and policy changes that enable emission reductions.
We believe that SRM could be a crucial tool - but not a silver bullet; it should only complement, not replace, a wide set of mitigation policies and technologies.
Stardust firmly believes that regulation in this field is essential, including mechanisms for governance of the stratosphere - which is inherently trans-boundary in nature - and oversight of private companies. Although there are many national and international regulations in place that govern human effects on the natural environment, there is a lack of dedicated governance schemes for SRM R&D.
In the absence of regulatory frameworks covering SRM research, these Guiding Principles will serve as a voluntary code of conduct guiding Stardust’s policies and activities, alongside compliance with existing laws and regulations.2
Stardust will comply with SRM-relevant regulations as they emerge, reflecting our commitment to responsible research practices - conducted safely and in accordance with rigorous standards of scientific integrity, transparency, and independent validation.
Stardust supports credible and informed international decision-making on whether - and, if so, how - SRM might be deployed.
Stardust’s research focuses on reducing uncertainties and risks associated with SRM to support informed decisions by governments. We are committed to rigorously addressing these concerns, seeking to go beyond the risk-versus-risk framework, which recognizes that both action and inaction carry uncertainties and consequences. Safety, in our view, is not merely one factor in that equation; it requires that potential harms be reduced to the greatest extent achievable.
These Guiding Principles are tightly coupled with Stardust’s Safety Requirements Paper, which elaborates in detail the safety and controllability requirements that SRM systems should meet .3 Both documents will be reviewed periodically in light of advances in scientific understanding, evolving governance frameworks, and lessons learned from Stardust’s research activities.
Environmental Safety
Safety first: at every step, Stardust will take a cautious approach in the face of scientific uncertainty, always committed to avoiding environmental harm.
Stardust’s activities and materials will comply with applicable environmental and chemical safety laws and regulations in the relevant jurisdictions.
Stardust will monitor the impacts of its activities and report to relevant authorities any significant safety incidents or environmental impacts.
Stardust’s safety requirements for SAI address known risks, including potential impacts on humans and the environment, atmospheric chemistry, as well as climatic effects. They propose quantitative limits informed by natural variability and established regulatory frameworks.4
Any SRM system must be designed for safe cessation, including the ability to gradually phase down operations to mitigate termination risks. Stardust’s R&D incorporates safe shutdown as a core design requirement.5
Scientific Integrity and Independent Validation
Stardust’s scientific outputs will undergo rigorous academic peer review and be independently verifiable, consistent with established scientific standards.
Data, methods, and results, including unfavorable ones, will be made publicly available in a timely manner, following appropriate scientific validation.
Stardust’s scientific findings and its products should also be validated by qualified external institutions - governmental, academic, international, or private.
SRM Testing, Governance and Oversight
We believe that outdoor atmospheric SRM experiments will be an essential component of the research and development process. These experiments will be required to study climate-related impacts and potential effects on the environment when the necessary information cannot be fully obtained by other means.⁶˒⁷˒⁸˒⁹
Stardust’s approach allows significant progress through laboratory studies, modeling, and non-dispersive testing, enabling us to delay the need for such outdoor SRM experiments3.
Outdoor SRM testing, if undertaken, will be: (a) designed to minimize environmental impact, (b) conducted only in jurisdictions with effective environmental regulatory regimes and responsible governments, (c) fully compliant with that regulatory framework.10
Independent, advance risk assessment is essential. Stardust will establish mechanisms to ensure that such assessments, informed by a wide range of perspectives, guide our work.11
We believe that any possible deployment of SRM technology12 should only be conducted: (a) by sovereign states or appropriate international bodies, (b) after sufficient research has reduced scientific and environmental uncertainties and provided essential information to guide such activities, and (c) in the context of credible and informed international decision-making to manage and take account of risks to various stakeholders.13
International Cooperation, Transparency, and Knowledge Sharing
SRM research should include and be informed by a diverse range of global stakeholders, especially those most vulnerable to rising temperatures and extreme weather events, allowing equitable participation in both research and decision-making as the field advances.
Stardust supports public engagement and stakeholder consultation as part of responsible SRM research, particularly as the scale and potential impact of activities increase.
Stardust collaborates with leading academic and scientific institutions worldwide as part of its commitment to open and responsible research.
Stardust will strive to share research infrastructure and testing capacities to broaden and advance SRM science beyond its own technology.
Transparency and independent validation are key to Stardust’s cooperative approach; research findings and scientific results will be published and undergo rigorous external review.
Stardust’s IP strategy will serve the public interest by ensuring that innovations, methods, and scientific details are publicly disclosed, contributing to the shared scientific knowledge base and enabling thorough review well before any possible decision on deployment.
Stardust will not collaborate with entities likely to engage in irresponsible SRM activities.
Responsible Funding and Technology Use
As a private company, Stardust will accept funding only from long-term-oriented investors committed to responsible, accountable, and well-governed scientific R&D, and will maintain public transparency about its funding.
Stardust will decline funding from and cooperation with those likely to engage in irresponsible deployment or misuse of our work.
Stardust’s role is to research and develop safe and practical technology tools; decisions on whether and how to deploy SRM rest with governments and authorized international bodies, and not with the private sector. Stardust further considers that potential deployment, if any, should only take place through credible and informed international decision-making.
For more details, see our Safety and Controllability Requirements paper and an independent report by Mr. Janos Pasztor, whose insights helped shape our approach.