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Climate Moonshot Portfolio

The Climate Moonshot Portfolio is an open-source architecture for a large climate R&D program. It currently contains eight approximately $1 billion R&D initiatives covering low-cost nuclear fission, economic fusion, global climate modeling, stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI), and marine cloud brightening (MCB). These proposals are not intended to be adopted unchanged. They are starting points for scientists, engineers, governments, research institutions, and funders to review, modify, replace, combine, or expand.

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The objective is to ask a larger question:

If society spent billions on additional R&D to reduce climate risk,
what should it develop?
 

1-Page Summary

  • Climate Moonshot Summary | PDF

  • European Climate Moonshot | PDF​​​

Eight $1B R&D Proposals

All proposals below are freely available under an open-source license.

LOW-COST ENERGY

  • Nuclear Power Site-Construction Automation - Develop machines and construction systems intended to reduce the cost and schedule of standardized nuclear plants. PDF | DOCX

   

  • Nuclear-Powered Industrial Processing - Develop standardized systems for coupling inexpensive nuclear heat/electricity to hydrogen, ammonia and other industrial processes. PDF | DOCX

   

  • Economic Fusion - Focus fusion R&D on the engineering developments most likely to produce electricity competitive with fossil generation. PDF | DOCX

CLIMATE UNDERSTANDING

  • Global Climate Models - Improve the observations, experiments and models needed to quantify climate risk and evaluate interventions. PDF | DOCX

SUNLIGHT-REFLECTION RESEARCH  

  • SAI Experimental Research - Test atmospheric processes and measure the effects and uncertainties of small, controlled research experiments. PDF | DOCX

   

  • SAI Equipment Development - Develop and test equipment required for atmospheric research and potential future large-scale systems. PDF | DOCX

   

  • MCB Experimental Research - Determine whether and under what conditions marine cloud brightening could reliably increase cloud reflectivity. PDF | DOCX

   

  • MCB Equipment Development - Develop and demonstrate seawater aerosol-generation, ship, automation and monitoring systems. PDF | DOCX

Nuclear Fission Power

$1B Proposal: Automate Nuclear Power Site Construction 

Develop machines and construction systems intended to reduce the cost and schedule of standardized nuclear plants.

https://www.ma2life.org/g/cm/cmp_fission_automate_site_construction.pdf

https://www.ma2life.org/g/cm/cmp_fission_automate_site_construction.docx

$1B Proposal: Co-locate Chemical Processing with Nuclear Power  

Develop standardized systems for coupling inexpensive nuclear heat/electricity to hydrogen, ammonia and other industrial processes.

https://www.ma2life.org/g/cm/cmp_fission_chemical_processing.pdf

https://www.ma2life.org/g/cm/cmp_fission_chemical_processing.docx

Economic Fusion

$1B Proposal: Economic Fusion Moonshot  

Focus fusion R&D on the engineering developments most likely to produce electricity competitive with fossil generation.

https://www.ma2life.org/g/cm/cmp_economic_fusion_moonshot.pdf

https://www.ma2life.org/g/cm/cmp_economic_fusion_moonshot.docx

Stratospheric Aerosol Injection

SAI Reflectivity Plan (7-pages)    

Describes a staged path from research and small-scale experiments through equipment development and, only if warranted, potential future large-scale SAI operations.

https://www.ma2life.org/g/film/SAI_Reflectivity_Plan.pdf

https://www.ma2life.org/g/film/SAI_Reflectivity_Plan.docx

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$1B Proposal: SAI Experimental Research  

Test atmospheric processes and measure the effects and uncertainties of small, controlled research experiments.

https://www.ma2life.org/g/cm/cmp_sai_experimental_research.pdf

https://www.ma2life.org/g/cm/cmp_sai_experimental_research.docx

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$1B Proposal: SAI Equipment Development  

Develop and test equipment required for atmospheric research and potential future large-scale systems.

https://www.ma2life.org/g/cm/cmp_sai_equipment_development.pdf

https://www.ma2life.org/g/cm/cmp_sai_equipment_development.docx

Marine Cloud Brightening

MCB Reflectivity Plan (7-pages)    

Describes a staged path from research and small-scale experiments through equipment development and, only if warranted, potential future large-scale MCB operations.

https://www.ma2life.org/g/film/MCB_Reflectivity_Plan.pdf

https://www.ma2life.org/g/film/MCB_Reflectivity_Plan.docx

        

$1B Proposal: MCB Experimental Research 

Determine whether and under what conditions marine cloud brightening could reliably increase cloud reflectivity.

https://www.ma2life.org/g/cm/cmp_mcb_experimental_research.pdf

https://www.ma2life.org/g/cm/cmp_mcb_experimental_research.docx

 

$1B Proposal: MCB Equipment Development 

Develop & demonstrate seawater aerosol-generation, ship, automation and monitoring systems.

https://www.ma2life.org/g/cm/cmp_mcb_equipment_development.pdf

https://www.ma2life.org/g/cm/cmp_mcb_equipment_development.docx

Global Climate Models

$1B Proposal: Global Climate Model Experimental Research 

Improve the observations, experiments and models needed to quantify climate risk and evaluate interventions.

https://www.ma2life.org/g/cm/cmp_gcm_experimental_research.pdf

https://www.ma2life.org/g/cm/cmp_gcm_experimental_research.docx​

Common Framework

Climate Moonshot Common Framework  

Addresses governance, procurement, open data, independent review, and stage gates.

https://www.ma2life.org/g/cm/cmp_common_framework.pdf

https://www.ma2life.org/g/cm/cmp_common_framework.docx

Portfolio Links

Climate Moonshot Portfolio Website

https://www.aplantosavetheplanet.org/cmp

Nuclear Fission Power 
https://www.aplantosavetheplanet.org/cmp#fission

Economic Fusion 
https://www.aplantosavetheplanet.org/cmp#fusion

Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI)
https://www.aplantosavetheplanet.org/cmp#sai

Marine Cloud Brightening (MCB) 

https://www.aplantosavetheplanet.org/cmp#mcb

Global Climate Models
https://www.aplantosavetheplanet.org/cmp#gcm

 

Climate Moonshot Framework
https://www.aplantosavetheplanet.org/cmp#framework

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