Arctic Stabilization Initiative (ASI)

Arctic Stabilization Initiative (ASI) is sponsored by Renaissance Philanthropy. Investigates interventions to slow or reverse Arctic warming, focusing on Greenland Ice Sheet melting, sea ice loss, and permafrost thaw.

The Arctic Stabilization Initiative (ASI) - ARC The Arctic Stabilization Initiative (ASI) Restoring Ocean Balance & Ecosystems Three of the most imminent global climate tipping points — the melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS), sea ice loss, and permafrost thaw—are Arctic-based, and are now within reach.

Changes to these core components of the climate system are already driving sea-level rise, altering weather patterns, and threatening biodiversity. Current data suggest that if warming trends continue, a self-perpetuating change in state may be “locked in” as soon as 2035, triggering cascading impacts beyond our ability to manage or mitigate through emissions reductions alone.

This transformation is more than an environmental crisis; it has profound consequences for global climate stability, as Arctic tipping points approach thresholds that could make changes irreversible. ASI aims to address these critical threats by investigating targeted interventions to slow or even reverse Arctic warming.

ASI will develop a set of Emergency Climate Options (ECOs) to address the three most imminent tipping elements and accelerate the research needed to prove, or disprove, their effectiveness, feasibility, and safety. In the first phase, ASI will focus on mixed-phase cloud thinning (MCT), which involves glaciogenic cloud seeding to decrease the longwave (heat-trapping) effect of Arctic mixed-phase clouds.

Fellow and Program Director Charlotte DeWald is an atmospheric scientist who integrates models and observations to advance the predictive understanding of aerosol-cloud interactions (ACI) and constraining uncertainties across sources and scales—from in situ measurements to large-scale climate models.

Her research focuses on highly efficient biological ice-nucleating particles (INPs), extremely rare aerosols (1 in 10⁹) that can trigger cloud ice formation and precipitation.

She has led multi-institutional efforts to measure and model ACI, resulting in the first INP observations over the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, and Persian Gulf, satellite-based constraints on ACI radiative forcing for climate models, and advanced instrumentation for high-temperature INP detection. Charlotte holds a Ph. D.

in Climate Science from Scripps Institution of Oceanography. ARC’s Seed grants will provide early-stage funding to catalyze promising ideas addressing catastrophic climate risks. ARC Seed grants support promising ideas with exploratory efforts, scoping studies, concept development, early-stage research, and small pilot projects, to help develop and refine innovative concepts or unblock initial barriers.

Timeline: ARC Seed grants are provided for 3-6 month engagements. Grant Amount: ARC’s Seed grants generally provide $30–100K in funding as well as deep engagement on project design and strategy. Turn your climate ideas into actionable programs.

Current and Completed Projects Colleen Golja, Carla Roesch Kelly Kinetic, Shaun Kinetic, Lea Eaton Enhancing Global South Capacity to Address Climate Emergencies Planning for Catastrophic Climate Risk Carbon Removal as a National Security Imperative AI-Powered Social Science for Climate Emergencies Research The Arctic Stabilization Initiative (ASI) The Climate Emergencies Resilience Lab ARC’s Build grants will enable leaders to turn promising concepts into actionable programs.

ARC Build grants support the development of independent organizations or partnerships with existing entities, focusing on activities such as program planning, roadmapping, early implementation, and organizational development. Timeline: ARC Build grants are provided for 6-month to 1-year engagements.

Grant Amount: ARC’s Build grants generally provide $100-400k in funding as well as strategic and operational support, and a variety of technical expertise. Turn your climate ideas into actionable programs. Current and Completed Projects Brent Minchew, Lauren Mahle The Arctic Stabilization Initiative (ASI) ARC’s Scale grants will empower our partner organizations to achieve significant impact by advancing key program objectives.

ARC’s Scale Partnerships provide targeted support to help organizations working on challenges aligned with ARC’s mission to enhance their efforts addressing climate risks. In addition to resources, we offer technical expertise, strategic guidance for organizational growth and research, and hands-on support in fundraising and partnership development.

By working closely with our partners, we ensure that promising initiatives are well-positioned to succeed and grow. Current and Completed Projects Dakota Gruener, Doug MacMartin Brent Minchew, Lauren Mahle