Day 3 of publishing environmental blogs (see yesterday’s blog on the Moon’s wobbles and the day before on sci-fi and understanding the environment) and this one is about something I’d never heard: solar geoengineering. Discover Magazine explained what it was:
The field proposes techniques to reflect solar radiation away from the earth, thereby cooling the planet and counteracting global warming. While the concept has never been implemented beyond small-scale experiments, critics argue that it’s already gone too far.
It’s bad enough that climate deniers and environmental activists agree on something—it’s nonsense and harmful. But that hasn’t stopped investment from the US government:
In 2020, the U.S. government gave the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration $9 million to research the technologies, more than a two-fold increase from the previous year. And just last year, the country’s national science academy recommended the U.S. spend $100 million to $200 million over the course of a half-decade to better understand potential risks and benefits.
Instead of making the necessary changes on Earth, it’s the Sun’s fault. Of course the US would aim to deflect responsibility—literally in this case.