US President Joe Biden's administration appears to be flirting with the idea of a study into whether blocking the Sun’s rays could be used to slow global warming.
A report, required by Congress, has been published on the White House website. It outlines research options linked to the process known as Solar Radiation Modification (SRM). What the document does is it approaches the issue of solar geoengineering from a “risk of intervention vs. risk of no action” framework.
The 44-page document was required by Congress in a policy report accompanying the 2022 appropriations bill. It juggles several ways to limit the amount of sunlight reaching Earth, such as
Stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI), to multiply the amount of aerosols in the stratosphere to reflect the sun’s rays away from the planet, like what naturally occurs after a volcanic eruption.
Marine cloud brightening - to increase cloud cover over the oceans.
Cirrus cloud thinning, or reducing the amount of high-flying cirrus clouds, which reflect solar radiation to Earth.
The research document states:
"This Research Plan focuses on improving understanding of the potential impacts of SRM, rather than on technologies needed for deployment. Much of this research would contribute to our ability to understand basic climate processes and effects of human greenhouse gas emissions, as well as outcomes of SRM."
The report acknowledges that "there are no plans underway to establish a comprehensive research program focused on solar radiation modification."
However, the moment the report was made public, it unleashed blowback on the Internet. The idea, albeit simply outlined as a research paper, was branded as "lunacy." Some users worried that it would eventually amount to an attempt to "legalize climate weapons," while others were concerned about the "ramifications of this on humans, plant life, and food supply."
Twitter screenshot.
© Photo : Twitter
Twitter screenshot.
© Photo : Twitter
Twitter screenshot.
© Photo : Twitter
Twitter screenshot.
© Photo : Twitter
Others wondered how solar panels and solar farms would be expected to work.
Twitter screenshot.
© Photo : Twitter
Some on the Internet were sure it was all part of a conspiracy to depopulate the planet.
Twitter screenshot.
© Photo : Twitter
People on social media joked that maybe "we should ask T.Rex about this, because this is basically what wiped out the dinosaurs."
Twitter screenshot.
© Photo : Twitter
Twitter screenshot.
© Photo : Twitter
Incidentally, the audacious plan to tinker with the Sun's rays was earlier embraced by Bill Gates.
The investor, philanthropist, and co-founder of software giant Microsoft, along with some private donors, backed a Harvard University Solar Geoengineering Research Program in 2021. It looked into methods such as seeding the stratosphere with aerosols – gaseous clouds formed by particles of many common materials – to reflect sunlight away.
However, in an open letter, scholars, initiators of the Solar Geoengineering Non-Use Agreement, argued for preventing the use of such technologies, as they could not be effectively governed, and would pose an “unacceptable risk if ever implemented as part of future climate policy.”
The Biden administration currently has no plans underway to launch a comprehensive research program into solar radiation modification, according to a senior administration official cited by US media reports.