Jakarta –
The United States government, even the United Nations (UN), expressed interest in technology research for ‘dark’ the Sun in order to ward off climate change and global warming. The name of the program is solar radiation modification (SRM).
Supporters of the technique claim its implementation could mitigate the devastating effects of climate change, even re-freezing the melting poles. “SRM offers the possibility of significant planetary cooling over the time scale of several years,” the White House report said.
Theoretically, the SRM technique could cool Earth by reflecting sunlight back into space. For example by pumping solar blocking particles into the upper atmosphere. This ‘stratospheric aerosol injection’ process uses aircraft to spray aerosols such as sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere.
This particle mist will reflect back the sunlight. The method has worked, even if by accident. When Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines erupted in 1991, it released thousands of tons of sulfur dioxide. In September 2022, researchers at Yale University argued that the injection method could hypothetically refreeze the poles.
But a new report by the UN Environment Program concludes that this is currently unrealistic. “Large-scale or unnecessary application of SRM technology is necessary, feasible, expedient, or reasonably safe, given the limited scientific understanding and the uncertainties of unintended impacts and consequences,” said Andrea Hinwood, UN environmental officer.
But they haven’t ruled out the method altogether to counteract climate change. Indeed, while there is consensus among experts that there is a high probability that these particles cool surfaces, their side effects are not yet known, especially on a global scale.
In early 2022, a group of scientists asked the United Nations to oversee the technology. “The impact will likely vary by region, while artificial cooling will be more impactful in some areas than others,” they said.
“There is also uncertainty about the impact on regional weather patterns, agriculture and on basic needs in food and drink,” they added.
Watch the video “Extreme heat is likely to occur every 2 to 5 years”
(fyk/fyk)
2023-07-29 23:15:09
#Technology #Damaging #Sun #Cool #Earth
