FOI/202500498898 · FOI/EIR · not held
Confirmation and Records of Geoengineering and Solar Radiation Modification (SRM) activities over Scotland: EIR release
Information requested
1) Confirmation and authorisation:
a) Confirm whether the Scottish Government is participating in, supporting, or complicit in any SRM/geoengineering or weather modification programme affecting Scotland.
b) If any such activity exists or has existed, identify who authorised it (office/role), the date of authorisation, the legal basis relied upon, and the oversight mechanism.
2) Records and communications:
Please provide all records held (emails, briefings, meeting notes, minutes, correspondence, policy papers) from 1 January 2015 to present that relate to:
a) SRM/geoengineering/weather modification in, over, or affecting Scotland;
b) communications with the UK Government, MoD, DSIT, ARIA, the Met Office, the CAA, NATS, SEPA, local authorities, airports, or contractors;
c) any assessment of proposals to “reflect sunlight”, “dim the sun”, “cloud brightening”, “stratospheric aerosols”, “aerosol injection”, “climate cooling”, or “sunlight reduction”.
3) Permits, substances, and releases
a) Provide a list of any permits, licences, approvals, or consents (Scottish or UK-wide) that the Scottish Government is aware of which would allow atmospheric release of substances intended to alter sunlight intensity, temperature, weather, or climate.
b) Provide the substances/materials referenced (even if described as “non-toxic mineral dust”, “sea salt spray”, “sulphur dioxide”, etc.), along with any environmental risk assessment, monitoring plan, and consultation record.
4) Monitoring and environmental data
a) Provide any Scottish Government/SEPA monitoring data or commissioned reports relating to atmospheric deposition or unusual aerosol/particulate events over Scotland.
b) Provide any studies or internal analyses that discuss aluminium, barium, strontium, or other metals in soils/vegetation being linked (rightly or wrongly) to atmospheric deposition, and the Government’s position on those claims.
5) Public assurance and accountability
If the Scottish Government’s position is that no SRM/geoengineering is being deployed over Scotland, I require a clear statement to that effect, together with:
a) the basis on which that assurance is made (what bodies you rely on, and what checks exist), and
b) what mechanism exists for the public to verify and challenge any future proposals before an outdoor experiment or deployment occurs.
Response
The Scottish Government does not support the use of Solar Radiation Modification (SRM) and is not aware of any SRM projects being planned or deployed in Scotland. Any proposed SRM project in Scotland would be required to go through stringent planning and consenting processes, and a full public consultation would be undertaken.
While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested. Therefore we are refusing your request under the exception at regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs.
We have applied this exemption on the grounds that The Scottish Government does not have the information. Under the terms of the exception at regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs (information not held), the Scottish Government is not required to provide information which it does not have. The Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested in points 2, 3, 4 and 5.
This exception is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exception. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exception. While we recognise that there may be some public interest in solar radiation modification activities affecting Scotland, clearly we cannot provide information which we do not hold.
About FOI
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Contact Please quote the FOI reference Central Correspondence Unit Email: contactus@gov.scot Phone: 0300 244 4000 The Scottish Government St Andrew's House Regent Road Edinburgh EH1 3DG
Detected exemption language
Therefore we are refusing your request under the exception at regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs. We have applied this exemption on the grounds that The Scottish Government does not have the information. Under the terms of the exception at regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs (information not held), the Scottish Government is not required to provide information which it does not have.
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