Scientists are thinking of dimming the sun to control the rising global temperatures. Read to find out how it is plausible and if it is worth all the risk.
Dimming the Sun: How is it possible?
Dimming the sun by blocking its ray with the help of an artificial particle shield is the last resort tech fix for controlling global temperatures. However, a group comprising of over 60 experts and scientists are opposing this. Their open letter and article explore and explain the risk and need for stopping this. Amitav Ghosh, an award-winning author, and president of Dirk Messner, the German Environment Agency is one of the lead authors. Other notable experts include Mike Hulme, a climatologist from Cambridge University, and Åsa Persson, the director of the Stockholm Environment Institute.
Through this open letter, the group is calling for immediate political action for stopping the normalization of solar geoengineering as a climate policy. Their major concerns include poor understanding at this point, its impact across various regions, the effect on weather patterns, and the availability of basic needs such as food and water.
What is the International Non-Use Agreement on Solar Geoengineering?
Experts believe that this can cause a change in sky color and alter the chemical layer of the ozone and oceans forever. Dimming the Sun can also have adverse effects on photosynthesis, affecting food and water availability. The letter describes the need for implementing five urgent measures. There are- no patents, no outdoor experts, no public funding, no implementation and, no support from international institutions. “Some things we should just restrict at the outset. It might be possible to do, but it is too risky,” stated Aarti Gupta. Gupta is a professor of Global Environmental Governance at Wageningen University. “Despite the potential dangers, no mechanism exists today to stop an individual, company, or country from launching a solo mission,” she added.
Previously studies have revealed that aerosol particles can help in cooling the earth’s surface. However, the effects are temporary. Moreover, for making a huge change, the artificial aerosol particle shield should be continuously replenished for several decades. Dimming the sun with such methods is also against the UN’s Framework Convention on Climate Change for preventing “dangerous human interference with the climate system”.
Why is it risky?
In addition to the environmental repercussions from dimming the sun, abruptly stopping projects can push all the accumulated greenhouse gases into the earth. This can lead to a sudden skyrocketing of the earth’s temperature by four to six times. Moreover, policy experts believe that an international coalition spanning over several generations is not democratically possible. Gupta also believes that dimming the Sun is a high-risk technology such as chemical weapons and human cloning.
Recently, such technologies are making their way into mainstream climate talks as a last option. Several countries including the US have been funding geoengineering research. “It is hard to justify a permanent non-use agreement on the tech that– according to literature and summaries by IPCC and US National Academy of Science– might substantially reduce climate risks,” stated David Keith. Keith is leading the solar engineering team at Harvard and is a professor of applied physics. He believes that a permanent ban is not called for.
Unfortunately, the implementation of such tech is not as simple as seen in Sci-fi movies or literature. Experts believe that it is vital to solve the problems that are at hand. Nations need to achieve decarbonization as it can help in tackling more problems.