Lights out: can dimming the sun really save us from global warming?

Enter solar geoengineering, the unlikely frontrunner in the fight against rising global temperatures. Solar geoengineering, or solar radiation modification (SRM), essentially means artificially dimming the sun. This might sound like a dastardly Dr Evil-style conceit, but in recent years the premise has been promoted from sci-fi material to a feasible weapon against rising temperatures, backed by peer-reviewed research.