Remember the 2010 eruption of an Icelandic volcano that blocked the entire sky all the way into Europe? The Keutsch group planned its first test flight for June 2021, which would. Headlines or statements to the contrary rely on "slippery slope" arguments about geoengineering in general, not a fear that SCoPEx itself could destroy the world. 60 scientists write in an open letter that solar geoengineering is worth investigating as a way to keep the Earth from experiencing the most devastating effects of climate change. Instead, it will observe how particles interact with one another, with the background stratospheric air, and with solar and infrared radiation. The experiment involves launching a high-altitude balloon about 12 miles into the atmosphere, according to its website. It will cost several million dollars and has been funded by private donors, including Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. "Bill Gates hatches 'horribly stupid' plan to block out the sun," says the headline on a Feb. 21 article on the Daily Star website. Widespread use of technology that dims natural sunlight to help fight climate change should only be used as a last resort, scientists have warned. Gates did not personally hatch a plan, nor is he or anyone scheming to block out the sun. "We are not, for example, testing whether it's possible to scatter sunlight back to space, because there is no meaningful scientific uncertainty about that question.". But harmless only goes so farthe repercussions of solar geoengineering arent necessarily found in the material released, but in the unexpected effects of mixing ingredients into the stratosphere. In June 2021, some 30 groups of indigenous peoples from around the world called on Harvard University to abandon the Gates-backed plans to test its solar geoengineering tech with the help of the Swedish Space Corporation. The UN document correctly indicates that volcanic eruptions sometimes fill the skies with ash or sulfur, dim the sun for years, and lead to measurable global cooling episodes. The most the experiment would seek to do is release two kilograms (4.4 pounds) of non-toxic dust from a weather balloon 12 miles high in the sky. This week, the influential National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) also released a new report urging the U.S. government to spend at least $100 million to study solar geoengineering, a controversial technology. This material may not be reproduced without permission. In a report made by that body, Gates' involvement is noted, but the proportion of the project funded by Gates is not publicly disclosed. Other reports that misrepresented the project includeda story from the British tabloidThe Daily Mail, which warned of potential disasteras a result ofthe experiment. New Findings Warn Earth Could Break Key Warming Barrier In 2033, Should Climate Scientists Stop Doing Research? Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. 801 3rd St. S A Harvard experiment named SCoPEx is supported in part by these initiatives. Fact check: Bill Gates is not trying to 'block the sun's rays' in the name of climate change. The SCoPEx experiment sought to release just a small amount of aerosol material into the sky in a specific location, but now, Harvard says even this must be considered in more detail and with ethical implications in mind. In an open letter, the 16 initiators of the Solar Geoengineering Non-Use Agreementall scholars in their own rightargue there are three main grounds for preventing the use of such technologies. 01 Mar 2023 04:14:30 District of Columbia . Gates, who dropped out of Harvard in 1975 to co-found Microsoft, has provided funding to the university for climate research since 2007. We may earn commission if you buy from a link. If given the go-ahead, the experiment could take place in June, 2021, from the Esrange Space Center in Kiruna, Sweden. SCoPEx said its ongoing experiment aims to improve computer models of solar geoengineering by obtaining some real-world data about how chemicals react in the skies. The geoengineering project is an attempt to cool the earth's overall temperature. Why Trust Us? In 2007, Gates created a grant-making research fund known as the Fund for Innovative Climate and Energy Research (FICER). Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Bei der Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps verwenden wir, unsere Websites und Apps fr Sie bereitzustellen, Nutzer zu authentifizieren, Sicherheitsmanahmen anzuwenden und Spam und Missbrauch zu verhindern, und, Ihre Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps zu messen, personalisierte Werbung und Inhalte auf der Grundlage von Interessenprofilen anzuzeigen, die Effektivitt von personalisierten Anzeigen und Inhalten zu messen, sowie, unsere Produkte und Dienstleistungen zu entwickeln und zu verbessern. It will only test the balloon, not release any aerosols. The launch will not release any stratospheric aerosols. The proposed Harvard experiment would use a high-altitude balloon to lift instruments into the atmosphere and release aerosols. We take a look at 7 End Times Headlines from all across the world. The science has spoken. "To date, nobody has been able to show that there is a law for the average American citizen working day in and day out to pay an income tax.". Bill Gates' Savior Complex Spirals Out of Control, Funds Sun-Dimming Plan To Save the Human Race, says concerns like these are not supported by science, Fact check: Bill Gates is not planning to microchip the world through a COVID-19 vaccine, Planned Harvard balloon test in Sweden stirs solar geoengineering unease, Bill Gates' Savior Complex Spirals Out of Control, Funds Sun-Dimming Plan To Save the Human Race, Could dimming the sun save the Earth? Mount Merapi, 2,968 metres high, is known as one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia, with an eruption occurring every two to five years. (April 22), The claim: Bill Gates is working to block the sun to prevent global warming. The researchers behind the forthcoming Harvard project, the Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment (SCoPEx), say we must study solar geoengineering in case we need to take a drastic action against climate change. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Bill Gates funded the study. Freezing temperatures in 1815 led to failed crops in near-famine conditions. Its the instigating event of the 2013 film Snowpiercer, for example, where blocking sunlight has turned Earth into a lifeless ice ball. Excessive aluminum in the brain. It also has made him a frequent target for conspiracy theories. Bill Gates, Harvard, To Begin Blocking Sun In Spring Of 2019. Aim: dim the Sun. The experiment would measure the risks and effectiveness of the technology and is not an effort at widespread implementation. Scientists have devised multiple ways to block sunlight from reaching Earths atmosphere or surface. These models, the SCoPEx website explains, "are the primary tool for estimating the risks and benefits of solar geoengineering." Proponents of geoengineering have cited the global cooling effects of volcanic eruptions that result from the introduction of sulfuric ash into the atmosphere. The SCoPEx project is partially funded by the Harvard University Solar Geoengineering Research Program (SGRP), which lists Bill Gates as one of its philanthropic donors. Ultimately, Gates' involvement is financial. . A snapshot of searches between March 1 and 2 included breakout results largely based around: "Bill Gates trying to block sun. She's also an enthusiast of just about everything. On the other hand we are expected to go to solar powered energy. So what does this mean for SCoPEx, and for solar geoengineering in general? The United States, Brazil, and Saudi Arabia blocked a 2019 United Nations assessment of global geoengineering plans. This may seem like an idle distinction, but it matters. The Swedish Space Corporation has agreed to help launch a balloon close to the town of Kiruna, Forbes reported. Keith and fellow SCoPEx scientists published a paper in 2017 suggesting that the dust may actually replenish the ozone layer by reacting with ozone-destroying molecules. It can fully charge a 50Ah Battery from 50% in 3 hours. Although . These claims have. Solar geoengineering, also known as radiation management, is based on the idea of using technologies to fight climate change by reflecting sunlight back into space. In 2015, the National Academies of Sciences, for example, released a two-part report on climate interventions like solar radiation management. It is true that no one knows what will happen until the CaCO3 is released and then studied afterward. International cooperation will be required to assess the risks, winners, and losers of any such experiment, and how best to proceed with all in mind. As noted by Nature in 2018, the concept in a broad sense is designed to spray particles into the stratosphere that may cool the planet by reflecting some of the Sun's rays. The world's richest man has provided at least $4.5 million of his own money over 3 years for the study of methods that could alter the stratosphere to reflect solar energy, techniques to filter carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere, and brighten . The speculative possibility of future solar geoengineering risks becoming a powerful argument for industry lobbyists, climate denialists, and some governments to delay decarbonization policies, the authors write. Environmentalists similarly fear that a dramatic shift in mitigation strategy will be treated as a green light to continue emitting greenhouse gases with little to no changes in current consumption and production patterns. billionaire founder Bill Gates is financially backing the development of sun-dimming technology that would potentially reflect sunlight out of Earths atmosphere, triggering a global cooling effect. Prominent campaigner Greta Thunberg came out in support of the indigenous peoples and against solar geoengineering. Further research on this and similar methods could lead to reductions in risks and improved efficacy of solar geoengineering methods, write the authors of the paper. SCoPEx is partially funded by Harvard's own Solar Geoengineering Research Program (SGRP), which lists Gates as one of its many philanthropic donors. If successful, this could be a step towards a second experimental stage that would release a small amount of CaCO3 dust into the atmosphere. The claim gained traction in mid-February as residents in the state of Texas faced deadly winter storms but continued to circulate on the social network this week. Geoengineering Monitor, accessed April 23, David Keith's Research Group at Harvard University, October 19, 2020, ", Keutsch Group at Harvard, accessed April 23, ", Philosophical Transactions of The Royal Society, April, 17, 2018, ", Harvard's Solar Geoengineering Research Program, accessed April 23, ", Harvard'sStratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment.
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