Decisions Shouldn’t Be Made in the Dark
Reflective is a global non-profit organization working to accelerate the pace of sunlight reflection research. We equip the world with the data and tools needed to make informed decisions about sunlight reflection, fast enough to matter.
Progress on climate change requires moving with responsible urgency.
Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI) may be the only practical near-term option to mitigate many potentially devastating climate impacts in the next few decades, and allow the necessary time for more permanent climate solutions and decarbonization to take hold.
We know that Stratospheric Aerosol Injection could cool the planet. We lack the data, tools, and infrastructure required to judge whether, how, or under what conditions it could be deployed responsibly.
Reflective is committed to answering these questions with rigorous data and scientific research to inform responsible, evidence-based decision-making.
Our Work
We set and maintain a rigorous roadmap, pool philanthropic resources around those roadmap priorities, build tools that make the current research legible and that make conducting research easier and faster, and finally, we invest in building the field.
SAI Research Roadmap
The SAI Research Roadmap maps the research and resources needed to reduce technical uncertainty and enable informed decision-making about SAI. For each research activity in the Roadmap, we give a scientific justification, scope of work, estimated budget, and timeline: resulting in a specific, legible plan for the research program needed for informed decision making.
SAI Simulator
The simulator provides a fast, interactive way to explore the climate effects of different SAI deployment scenarios and compare them to the impacts of continued warming.
The Latest
- Featured
A plan to answer the sunlight reflection question
The SAI Research Roadmap is a stage-gated, field-wide plan for the technical research needed to determine whether SAI could ever responsibly be used to temporarily reduce global temperatures. Why field experiments will be necessary to understand SAI
- Featured
The State of SAI: Reflective's 2025 Annual Report
Our Principles
We recognize that sunlight reflection research carries risk and that how we conduct research is as important as what research we conduct. The following principles are meant to serve as a north star for the organization as we engage in this work.
Responsible urgency
The impacts of climate change, on lives and ecosystems, are enormous and accelerating. Paralysis is a significant risk and demonstrating that serious, fast-paced sunlight reflection research is underway is one avenue to reduce the risk of irresponsible action.
Objectivity
If it is determined that sunlight reflection is a bad idea in terms of outcomes on people or the planet, getting to that clarity is a victory and we will CELEBRATE that outcome.
Collaboration
We believe in the idea that “if you want to go far, go together” and will work to collaborate widely.
Transparency
Our organization’s processes and research (progress, setbacks, uncertainties) must be public, understandable, and readily available.
Global
Climate change is a global problem, and SRM could be part of a global solution and thus requires global engagement.
Flexibility
We care about the activities on the roadmap being executed, as expeditiously and rigorously as possible, not who does them or how they choose to complete them.
FAQ
What is sunlight reflection? Is it safe?
Sunlight reflection, also called solar radiation management (SRM), is a field of research into climate interventions that increase the amount of solar energy reflected back into space, avoiding warming and its global impacts.
Sunlight reflection has been researched since the 1960s. Climate models have shown that sunlight reflection, when combined with emissions reductions, has meaningful potential to reduce near-term climate impacts. Despite theoretical reasons for optimism, we still lack enough evidence and data to make a robust scientifically-informed decision about the potential impact of deployment. Our mission is to answer those questions to understand the potential impacts of SRM and if/how we could use it responsibly.Is SAI a replacement for reducing greenhouse gas emissions?
Is Reflective advocating for eventual deployment?
What kinds of research and projects does Reflective fund?
