Experts Cringe at Startup's Solar Geoengineering Scheme

Even proponents of geoengineering say it's a 'terrible idea' to try it right now
By Mike L. Ford,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 27, 2022 3:31 PM CST
Experts Cringe at Startup's Solar Geoengineering Scheme
Stock image of a sunset   (Getty - Vitalii Petrushenko)

Some say solar geoengineering—using sulfur or other particles to reflect sunlight back into outer space—is humankind’s best hope for fighting climate change. Also, nearly all experts say it’s way too soon to implement any actual tests because there are too many unknowns. Nevertheless, according to MIT Technology Review, a Mexico-based startup has apparently decided to go ahead and try. Nobody reached for comment thought it was a good idea other than Luke Iseman, CEO of Make Sunsets. He says his company launched two balloons containing "a few grams" of sulfur and probably enough helium to carry them into the stratosphere, where they hypothetically exploded, releasing their payload and perhaps cooling the planet a little.

There was no monitoring equipment aboard the balloons, so there’s no way to know what really happened. Furthermore, Iseman didn’t seek approval from the Mexican government or anyone else. While he expects to be portrayed as "a Bond villain," he also says, "It’s morally wrong … for us not to be doing this,” because humanity has waited too long to address climate change. The James Bond reference is a nod to political scientist David Victor, who once invoked Bond nemesis "Goldfinger" in warning that a "Greenfinger, self-appointed protector of the planet" could one day do a lot of damage on the cheap. One geoengineering advocate downplayed the environmental risks but still said it’s a "terrible idea" to do it for profit. Make Sunsets is already selling "cooling credits" at $10 apiece, claiming 1 gram of sulfur can offset a ton of atmospheric carbon. Read the full report here. (More geoengineering stories.)

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