The Wild Climate Solution You've Probably Never Heard Of

Why It Matters

If feasible, stratospheric aerosol injection could deliver rapid, large-scale cooling and avert heat-related deaths, but it poses significant environmental risks and geopolitical challenges, making it a high-stakes, contentious complement—not substitute—to emissions cuts.

Summary

Make Sunsets, a startup led by co-founder Luke, is testing a controversial climate intervention—stratospheric aerosol injection—by releasing sulfur dioxide from weather balloons to form sunlight-reflecting particles in the upper atmosphere. The technique mimics volcanic eruptions like Mount Pinatubo, which lowered global temperatures by about 0.5°C after its 1991 eruption. Proponents argue such cooling could substantially reduce heat-related mortality and slow warming for a given level of greenhouse gases. Critics warn the approach involves toxic emissions, uncertain side effects and would require unprecedented global governance to implement safely.

Original Description

Should we dim the sun? Some scientists say it could actually slow climate change. That sounds like something out of science fiction, but it’s happening now in Northern California.

We visited two entrepreneurs who are launching sulfur dioxide balloons from the top of stacked shipping containers, then asked scientists if solar geoengineering could delay catastrophic tipping points or introduce a whole new slew of cascading consequences.

Hear more: https://mktplc.org/4u0fqoM