Revolutionary Study Reveals Diamond Dust Could Cool Planet by 1.6 Degrees Celsius – But at a $200 Trillion Cost!

Scientists around the world have been looking for possible ways to cool our increasingly warm planet for several years. And they often come up with more or less wild ideas. The last one that has attracted attention is not only very daring, but also very expensive – spraying diamond dust into the stratosphere. According to a study published in Geophysical Research Letters however, it would work out in similar ways.

The whole idea fits into a larger package of theories called solar geoengineering. They believe that the increase in temperature on Earth could be solved by a greater degree of reflection of sunlight from the surface of the planet. In this context, for example, the place was considered large mirrors into space or strengthen clouds over the seamany ideas came true.

At the moment, there is a consensus that the most promising method for solar geoengineering is the spraying of aerosols into the stratosphere (scientifically). stratospheric aerosol injection). It is fueled by volcanic eruptions. During major eruptions, volcanoes spew large amounts of sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere, which then reacts with moisture and can block incoming sunlight. appear

The effect is visible, for example when the Philippine volcano Pinatubo erupted in 1991 – this was one of the largest volcanic eruptions of the 20th century – the planet became cooled by less than 0.5 degrees Celsius.

An unexpected flashy winner

However, sulfur dioxide can have negative effects, for example it can cause acid rain. So an international team of scientists made up of climatologists, meteorologists and others decided to study other aerosols. They created a 3D climate model that showed the effects of injecting individual aerosols into the stratosphere, including various effects such as the rate of reflection of light and heat, how they accumulate, how they would then settle on the surface, etc.

They looked at calcite, silicon carbide (a mixture of carbon and silicon), diamond, aluminum, anatase, rutile, and just in case, sulfur dioxide.

The best result was diamond dust, or diamond with particles of 150 nm in size. It was associated with fewer negative effects – it reflected sunlight better, was less likely to enter the stratosphere, lasted longer to ensure sufficient cooling and, moreover, it did not lead to the formation of acid rain. The study says so 5 million tons of diamond dust sent into the stratosphere could cool the planet by 1.6 degrees Celsius over 45 years.

However, the scientists encountered a catch. The price of the material in the case of a synthetic diamond would be around 200 trillion dollars, about 2400 times that of sulfur dioxide. Also spraying would be a bit more complicated, more planes would be needed.