Melodi
Disaster Cat
While this article was originally in the UK Telegraph, I got it from MSN, who had permission to post it. I put it under insanity rather than international, but I can change that if needed. But I consider this insanity usually only found in dystopian science fiction. I'm sure someone "big" (corporation, state actor, NGO, other) is funding this "start-up." Probably because no government or Big Corporate Interest (including the DAVOS crowd) was willing to put their name on it but were frustrated when they were not getting their way fast enough, notice the whole basis of this is so companies and high net worth individuals can buy "cold carbon credits." This could flip the weather in unexpected ways if it continues - not this tiny project, but if the idea catches on. - Melodi
Climate change activist goes rogue releasing ‘mini volcanoes’ to cool atmosphere
Story by Emma Gatten • Yesterday 15:57
51 Comments
AMexico-based startup will next week launch sulphur particles into the stratosphere in a “rogue” move to create a “mini-volcano” effect it says could help cool the planet.
Stratospheric aerosol injection mimics the impact of volcanoes by using a weather balloon to release sulphur - Henry Romero/Reuters
© Henry Romero/Reuters
The technique, known as stratospheric aerosol injection, mimics the impact of volcanoes by using a weather balloon to release sulphur, creating a cloud of particles that reflect the sun’s rays and have a cooling impact.
It is one of several geoengineering techniques being studied as a way to cool the planet to avoid breaching internationally agreed limits on global warming.
The amount of particles that start-up Make Sunsets plans to release in coming days, up to 2kg, will make a minimal difference to overall warming.
But experts in geoengineering say the launches set a dangerous precedent for private companies or governments to interfere with the planet’s atmosphere.
The company is backed by two venture capital funds, and is selling “cooling credits” to the public for $15 (£12), which it says pays for 1g of sulphur, expected to produce enough cooling to offset a ton of carbon emissions for a year.
It released a first balloon in December in Mexico, but will next week launch from California, after the Mexican government released a statement criticising the first effort.
Co-founder Luke Isemans said the potential risks of what he is doing are outweighed by the known threat of climate change.
“I think that pretty quickly leads a rational person to an uncomfortable conclusion that we have a moral obligation to already be doing this at scale,” he told the Telegraph. “Every day we don’t do this is causing needless harm to people and ecosystems.”
Global non-use agreement
The practice is so far largely unregulated, leading experts to warn of the dangers of taking action without global consensus.
If conducted on a large scale, there are concerns the technique could deplete the ozone layer, or change precipitation patterns. Hundreds of scientists have signed a call for a global non-use agreement to stop the development and potential use of all large-scale solar geoengineering technologies.
“It would basically change precipitation patterns, meaning it could mess up the monsoon, which would affect millions of people,” said Lili Fuhr, from the Center for International Environmental Law. “Basically, you’re impacting everyone on this planet, so everyone should have a say. There’s not one country or actor that can take control of the global thermostat and do it benignly for everyone else.”
Experts warn that this cheap and easy method could make it more tempting for governments to use, which could have the potential to fuel conflicts if it goes wrong.
‘No progress on deployment’
But for Mr Iseman, getting global consensus would take too long. Two major programmes in the last 10 years, one led by a team at Bristol University, and another led by scientists in the US, are yet to conduct real-world trials.
“The responsible, brilliant, well funded, adult academics have made no progress on deployment,” he said. “This is the only cost effective thing that we could do during our lifetime that could maintain a liveable world.”
For Ms Fuhr, caution should remain the overriding principle. “I don’t think that the urgency of the situation suddenly turns a really bad idea into a good idea,” she said. “We’ve seen with this rogue experiment reactions were mostly very, very negative.”
Matt Watson, a climate scientist who was involved in the Bristol University research project, said Make Sunsets could end up undermining the case for more controlled geoengineering.
“It makes people who are trying to do cautious, ethically grounded, transparent, non commercial work, it makes their lives more difficult,” he said.
Mr Iseman, who studied business at Wharton University, and has worked in various startups, as well as at one point making metal art for the Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert, said he would keep going with the launches as long as he had funding.
He said his number one aim for the launches next week was to “get balloons up without triggering an international incident.”
Climate change activist goes rogue releasing ‘mini volcanoes’ to cool atmosphere
Story by Emma Gatten • Yesterday 15:57
51 Comments
AMexico-based startup will next week launch sulphur particles into the stratosphere in a “rogue” move to create a “mini-volcano” effect it says could help cool the planet.
Stratospheric aerosol injection mimics the impact of volcanoes by using a weather balloon to release sulphur - Henry Romero/Reuters
© Henry Romero/Reuters
The technique, known as stratospheric aerosol injection, mimics the impact of volcanoes by using a weather balloon to release sulphur, creating a cloud of particles that reflect the sun’s rays and have a cooling impact.
It is one of several geoengineering techniques being studied as a way to cool the planet to avoid breaching internationally agreed limits on global warming.
The amount of particles that start-up Make Sunsets plans to release in coming days, up to 2kg, will make a minimal difference to overall warming.
But experts in geoengineering say the launches set a dangerous precedent for private companies or governments to interfere with the planet’s atmosphere.
The company is backed by two venture capital funds, and is selling “cooling credits” to the public for $15 (£12), which it says pays for 1g of sulphur, expected to produce enough cooling to offset a ton of carbon emissions for a year.
It released a first balloon in December in Mexico, but will next week launch from California, after the Mexican government released a statement criticising the first effort.
Co-founder Luke Isemans said the potential risks of what he is doing are outweighed by the known threat of climate change.
“I think that pretty quickly leads a rational person to an uncomfortable conclusion that we have a moral obligation to already be doing this at scale,” he told the Telegraph. “Every day we don’t do this is causing needless harm to people and ecosystems.”
Global non-use agreement
The practice is so far largely unregulated, leading experts to warn of the dangers of taking action without global consensus.
If conducted on a large scale, there are concerns the technique could deplete the ozone layer, or change precipitation patterns. Hundreds of scientists have signed a call for a global non-use agreement to stop the development and potential use of all large-scale solar geoengineering technologies.
“It would basically change precipitation patterns, meaning it could mess up the monsoon, which would affect millions of people,” said Lili Fuhr, from the Center for International Environmental Law. “Basically, you’re impacting everyone on this planet, so everyone should have a say. There’s not one country or actor that can take control of the global thermostat and do it benignly for everyone else.”
Experts warn that this cheap and easy method could make it more tempting for governments to use, which could have the potential to fuel conflicts if it goes wrong.
‘No progress on deployment’
But for Mr Iseman, getting global consensus would take too long. Two major programmes in the last 10 years, one led by a team at Bristol University, and another led by scientists in the US, are yet to conduct real-world trials.
“The responsible, brilliant, well funded, adult academics have made no progress on deployment,” he said. “This is the only cost effective thing that we could do during our lifetime that could maintain a liveable world.”
For Ms Fuhr, caution should remain the overriding principle. “I don’t think that the urgency of the situation suddenly turns a really bad idea into a good idea,” she said. “We’ve seen with this rogue experiment reactions were mostly very, very negative.”
Matt Watson, a climate scientist who was involved in the Bristol University research project, said Make Sunsets could end up undermining the case for more controlled geoengineering.
“It makes people who are trying to do cautious, ethically grounded, transparent, non commercial work, it makes their lives more difficult,” he said.
Mr Iseman, who studied business at Wharton University, and has worked in various startups, as well as at one point making metal art for the Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert, said he would keep going with the launches as long as he had funding.
He said his number one aim for the launches next week was to “get balloons up without triggering an international incident.”
