Submitted by Laura Dunn on
Mexico City, Mexico – On Friday January 13 the Mexican government announced that it will not allow solar geoengineering experiments in Mexico. This announcement came in response to Make Sunsets’ experiments over Baja California Sur, Mexico, where the two-man startup used weather balloons to spray sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere. This took place without the Free Prior and Informed consent of the Indigenous peoples whose territories were used for the experiments and without any permits or even a license to operate a business in Mexico.
Having closely followed previous geoengineering experiments, ETC Group welcomes Mexico’s decision to stop these tests. “Solar geoengineering experiments must be stopped,” says Silvia Ribeiro, Latin American Director. “Whether they are conducted by academic researchers or rogue geoengineers, this technology poses too great a risk to communities and to nature to be tested anywhere.”
“Countries around the world must prepare themselves to deal with climate colonialism as Silicon Valley seeks to use the Global South as a laboratory for false climate solutions. Following the example of Mexico, it is wise to strictly adhere to the precautionary principle and existing international agreements such as the moratoria on geoengineering at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity,” says Neth Daño, Asia Director at ETC Group.
See our previous press release for more details
Press contact:
Canada - Laura Dunn, laura@etcgroup.org, +1 514 607 9979
México - Verónica Villa veronica@etcgroup.org