Climate Solutions
What Is the Climate R&D Moonshot?
A proposed $25 million research initiative to develop new ways to address climate change.
Climate science has identified serious risks from global warming. However, many potential solutions remain expensive, technically difficult, or insufficiently understood.
Paul Beckwith and Glenn Weinreb are proposing a coordinated research and development (R&D) initiative to address these problems. The initial $25 million would support engineering designs, laboratory experiments, climate and economic models, and detailed proposals for larger research programs.
The long-term vision is approximately $10 billion in additional R&D over five years. The initiative is currently a proposal. Funding and a host institution are being sought.
1. What Is a Climate R&D Moonshot?
A moonshot is a large, ambitious, coordinated R&D program intended to overcome major technical challenges. The term refers to the Apollo Moon program, which brought together scientists, engineers, contractors, and government funding to accomplish a difficult objective.
The proposed Climate R&D Moonshot would focus on several areas:
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Lower-cost nuclear power: Design specialized machines that automate nuclear power plant construction (proposal).
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Industrial decarbonization: Develop ways to use nuclear heat in chemical manufacturing and carbon dioxide removal (proposal).
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Solar radiation management (SRM) research: Develop laboratory experiments, scientific instruments, and models to investigate proposed sunlight-reflection technologies, their feasibility, uncertainties, and potential adverse effects (proposal).
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Climate decision-making software: Build a website that evaluates combinations of decarbonization, carbon dioxide removal, and sunlight-reflection options against specified climate objectives and constraints (proposal).
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Research planning: Produce technical designs, cost estimates, experimental plans, and independently reviewed proposals for larger R&D projects.
The goal is to spend billions on additional R&D to potentially save trillions in future climate-related costs.
The first $25 million would primarily fund preliminary research and design — not construction or deployment of large-scale climate interventions.
2. Who Are Paul Beckwith and Glenn Weinreb?
Paul Beckwith is a climate science educator and communicator who produces climate-related educational videos and participates in international climate conferences, including COP31.
Glenn Weinreb is an MIT-trained electrical engineer, founder of GW Instruments, and director of the nonprofit Manhattan 2 Project. He has developed a portfolio of open-source climate R&D proposals covering climate modeling, nuclear energy, carbon removal, and solar radiation management.
Beckwith and Weinreb are proposing the initiative, seeking partners, and helping organize the effort. They are not claiming to operate an already-funded $25 million research program.
Their objective is to bring together established research institutions, scientific advisers, engineers, program managers, and funding organizations.
3. Who Would Receive the Money, and How Would It Be Managed?
The proposed $25 million would not be transferred to Paul Beckwith or Glenn Weinreb personally.
Instead, the initiative seeks an established, reputable foundation, university, or comparable research organization willing to receive and manage the funding.
The host organization would be responsible for:
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Financial oversight, budgeting, and research contracts.
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Hiring professional project managers to commission scientists and engineers.
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Arranging independent scientific and technical review.
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Publishing research results, technical designs, cost models, and proposals openly, subject to appropriate legal and safety requirements.
No host organization has yet been selected, and the proposed $25 million has not yet been raised. Governance, budgets, conflicts-of-interest policies, and reporting requirements would need to be established before funds were accepted or spent.
The technical proposals are publicly available for independent evaluation. Their assumptions, costs, benefits, and uncertainties are open to examination and revision. Funding the research would not constitute approval to deploy any particular technology.
4. How Can You Help?
We are seeking discussions with:
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Potential funders interested in supporting the initial $25 million.
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Research institutions and foundations interested in managing the initiative.
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Scientists and engineers interested in evaluating or developing the proposed research.
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Program managers and advisers with experience organizing large R&D programs.
If you might help, or can introduce us to someone who could, we would welcome a conversation.
Video announcement by Paul Beckwith at COP31:
Press release:
Open-source technical proposals:
Contact:
The goal is to spend billions on additional R&D to potentially save trillions in future climate-related costs.
The first $25 million would primarily fund preliminary research and design—not construction or deployment of large-scale climate interventions.
Current status. The objective now is for European institutions to evaluate the concept and, if warranted, design, govern, and fund the program through open competition. This is not a funding request for any particular organization.
Suggested Partnerships. Possible partnership areas include low-cost clean energy, CO2 removal, climate decision-making, and sunlight-reflection research. For details, see Suggested Partnerships.
Getting Started. A roughly $1M Climate Moonshot Development effort could recruit experts, independently review the open-source portfolio, develop competing technical approaches, revise budgets and timelines, and produce detailed R&D proposals. The effort could culminate in a Climate Moonshot conference where proposal teams present their work to researchers, funders, industry, and policymakers. For details, see Climate Moonshot Development Proposal.
Portfolio summary. A set of eight $1B open-source proposals already exists and is available for download. The portfolio covers SAI and MCB research, nuclear power site-construction automation, nuclear-powered industrial processing, economic fusion, and global climate model experimental research. A Common Framework addresses governance, procurement, open data, independent review, and stage gates. The existing portfolio is a strawman for European review—not a package to adopt unchanged. Atmospheric-intervention research would build evidence, not authorize deployment.
What Europe would do.
• Establish a small European-led steering group to convene leading scientists, engineers,
economists, and independent reviewers.
• Red-team the portfolio; add, delete, combine, or re-budget according to evidence & priorities.
• Define milestones, gates, safety/governance requirements, open-science rules, and budget.
• Publish a European Climate Moonshot Roadmap and, if warranted, launch competitive calls.
Implementation mechanism. Europe should determine the appropriate structure. Possibilities could include a Horizon Europe scientific moonshot, European Partnership, Joint Undertaking, a Commission-level initiative involving multiple DGs, or another EU mechanism. No large execution team is needed now. The immediate need is a small European-led convening group to organize the independent review and Roadmap process; an eventual program would fund many performers and consortia.
Why now. Horizon Europe 2028–34 is being negotiated, and the Commission is determining the future architecture of Joint Undertakings and European Partnerships. The current planning cycle creates an opportunity to consider whether additional large-scale climate and energy R&D partnerships should be developed.
Immediate ask. We are looking for: (1) a credible European institution or group that could convene the effort, (2) scientists, engineers, economists, and independent reviewers who could help develop and assess the R&D programs, and (3) potential funding partners for an initial design phase. The immediate question is: who in Europe should lead this work, who should participate, and who might help fund it?