Scientists will begin "shading the sun" starting in Spring 2019 to save the Earth.

A team of scientists at Harvard University is planning to address climate change through geoarchitecture by blocking sunlight. This concept has existed for decades, but this is the first time researchers will actually block out the sun to save the Earth.

Scientists will begin "shading the sun" starting in the spring of 2019 to save the Earth.

The project, called the Stratospheric Controlled Interference Experiment (SCoPEx), will use $3 million to test a model by launching a balloon capable of traveling to an altitude of 20km in the southwestern United States. Once the balloon is positioned correctly, it will release tiny calcium carbonate particles. The plan is expected to be implemented as early as Spring 2019.

The basis of this experiment stems from research into the effects of large volcanic eruptions on the temperature of the planet. In 1991, the Pinatubo volcano in the Philippines erupted, releasing 20 million tons of sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere. The sulfur dioxide created a blanket around Earth's stratosphere, cooling the entire planet by 0.5°C for about a year and a half.

As scientists, government agencies around the world, and environmental groups become increasingly concerned about reducing greenhouse gas emissions and curbing climate change, the idea of ​​geo-scanning a solution is becoming more readily accepted. The ultimate goal is to reduce global warming, which can be achieved by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and absorbing CO2.₂from the atmosphere or by limiting sunlight from reaching the Earth's surface.

The first two approaches have been actively discussed and implemented to varying degrees. Recent commitments from G20 members (with the United States being the only one to refuse) are to act to address the root causes of the problem by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. CO2 absorption.₂Separating it from the atmosphere and trapping it in the Earth's crust is called CO2 sequestration.₂These initiatives have already been implemented. For example, Royal Dutch Shell has worked with the Canadian and Australian governments to build large carbon sequestration facilities.

The third method, blocking sunlight, has been controversial in the scientific community for decades. The controversy lies in the fact that no one can predict the consequences of partially blocking sunlight.

Reducing global temperatures is clear and planned; however, questions remain surrounding the impact of this approach on rainfall, the ozone layer, and crop yields globally.

A team of scientists at Harvard University will deploy a solution to release calcium carbonate into the stratosphere.

This is precisely why the Harvard research team plans to spray tiny pollen particles (calcium carbonate) into the stratosphere in a controlled experiment. Computer models can only go so far in predicting the effects of this technique. With partial funding from Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, the Harvard team will begin answering the remaining questions as early as spring 2019.

Although the potential negative impacts are not fully described, the possibility of controlling Earth's temperature by ejecting small particles into the stratosphere is an attractive solution due to its cost. A recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimated that continuously releasing particles into the stratosphere could offset 1.5°C of warming at a cost of only $1 billion to $10 billion per year.

When these costs are compared to reducing fossil fuel use or global carbon absorption, the approach becomes very attractive. Therefore, scientists, government agencies, and independent funders of this technology must balance the effectiveness and affordability of the method with the potential risks to global crops, weather conditions, and drought. Ultimately, the only way to fully describe these risks is through real-world experiments, like the Harvard group is undertaking.