Signal 2023 sulphur dioxide release in Baja California by a US firm prompted a Mexican ban

Summary

The report cites an episode in Mexico to show that even actions with no climate effect can trigger immediate political reactions. In 2023, a private company based in the United States carried out a token release of sulphur dioxide in Baja California, Mexico. Shortly afterwards, the Mexican government announced regulation to ban such activities. The report considers that because solar radiation modification can be relatively cheap and global in effect, unilateral action by one or a few actors becomes plausible in the absence of international rules. Such action could lead to diplomatic tension, disputes over responsibility for climate damage or pre-emptive responses from other states. The report defines the absence of governance as a risk in its own right and presents this case as an early sign of that risk playing out.