Niti Aayog evaluates solar radiation modification to address extreme heat conditions in India

New Delhi: Government policy think-tank Niti Aayog has set up a working group consisting of domestic and international policymakers to evaluate the risks associated with the Solar Radiation Modification (SRM) and suggest a governance framework to help India tackle the persistent issue of inordinate high temperatures year-after-year.

"Evidence from climate models and atmospheric physics suggests SRM, entailing large scale interventions designed to reflect sunlight back into space to cool the planet, could be used as a temporary measure to complement emissions reduction," the Aayog said in its Annual Report 2025-26.

"SRM interventions could have potential harmful side effects, such as adverse environmental and social impacts on rainfall patterns, crop yields, ecosystem and human health, and the ozone layer," it added.


India is already witnessing severe heatwave conditions across several regions, with 95 of the world's 100 hottest cities currently located in the country, according to real-time global temperature rankings.