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Mexico announced in January 2023 that it would pursue a strategy to prohibit solar geoengineering experiments, but that announcement is not by itself proof that a binding nationwide ban is now in force. The latest legal-status point established by the cited sources is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s July 2025 statement that Mexico had not finalized new regulations; the current status after that date remains unresolved.
What Mexico announced—and what is not yet established
In January 2023, Mexico’s environment ministry, SEMARNAT, announced a strategy to prohibit solar geoengineering experimentation and said it would stop such activity if necessary. In April, after a public forum, the government reiterated that experiments would not be permitted, while noting that social, scientific, and legal aspects were under discussion. SEMARNAT’s January announcement and its April statement describe a policy position and planned action.
In July 2023, Mexico’s National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change (INECC) reported that a project decree was being designed to define actions for federal agencies. The EPA later reported that new Mexican regulations had not been finalized as of July 2025. Those milestones do not establish whether a binding instrument was adopted or published after July 2025. The legal position as of September 30, 2026 is therefore unresolved in the sources cited here; an official decree or other current legal instrument would be needed to confirm the restriction’s present legal effect. See the INECC account and the EPA FAQ.
Why Mexico moved toward restricting experiments
The January announcement followed reported balloon releases by Make Sunsets in Baja California Sur. The Mexican government said the company launched weather balloons containing sulfur dioxide without prior notice or consent from the government or nearby communities. It also said the company reported that the balloons were neither monitored nor recovered. These are details reported in the government’s statement, not independently verified findings in the sources linked here.
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Mexico’s stated concerns extend beyond the specific incident. Government statements invoke precaution, protection of communities and ecosystems, national sovereignty, climate justice, and the possibility of unequal impacts. The April forum statement also raised consultation and free, prior, and informed consent for Indigenous communities whose territories might be involved.
What the planned restriction could mean for research
The statements focus on solar geoengineering experimentation in Mexican territory. If implemented as announced, that would be a significant constraint on outdoor field experiments conducted there. The statements and status reports cited here do not establish a blanket prohibition on computer modeling, desk research, laboratory work, or all research by Mexican scientists. Without the final legal text, it would be inaccurate to extend the announced policy to those activities.
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The decree work reported by INECC matters because a legal instrument could spell out which agencies act, which activities are covered, and how compliance is handled. The status report available from the EPA only establishes that new regulations were not finalized by July 2025; it does not settle what happened afterward.
Why the question matters beyond Mexico
Solar radiation modification (SRM), often called solar geoengineering, refers to approaches intended to change how much solar energy the Earth system retains. Outdoor experiments and any eventual deployment can raise questions that cross borders: who can authorize activity, whose consent is needed, who monitors effects, and who is accountable for impacts beyond the place where an experiment occurs. Mexico’s emphasis on sovereignty, community consultation, and consent brings those governance questions into sharp focus.
There is no single international framework governing all solar geoengineering research, outdoor experiments, and deployment, according to the EPA’s FAQ as of July 2025. The EPA identifies existing agreements and discussions that may be relevant, including the Convention on Biological Diversity’s moratorium concerning certain geoengineering deployment activities that may affect biodiversity. That moratorium is not a comprehensive regulatory framework for every kind of SRM research or experiment.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What a workable rule would need to clarify
The Royal Society’s 2025 policy briefing describes unresolved governance choices. Any Mexican instrument or broader policy needs to make its scope and oversight clear rather than relying on the word “experimentation” alone. Relevant questions include:
- Covered activity: Does the restriction address outdoor experiments only, or also laboratory research, modeling, and other work?
- Scale: How does it distinguish small experiments from larger experiments or deployment?
- Authority: Which agencies decide whether activity may proceed, and who enforces the rules?
- Consultation and consent: How are affected communities and Indigenous peoples involved, and what consent is required?
- Monitoring and accountability: Who tracks activity and potential effects, and what happens if conditions are breached?
- Review: If a moratorium or prohibition is adopted, can it be revisited, and under what process?
The briefing emphasizes that SRM carries substantial scientific, monitoring, and governance uncertainties. It can only partially mask greenhouse-gas warming while deployment continues; it does not remove the underlying greenhouse gases. The Royal Society says SRM should not be the main policy response to climate change.
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