Scientists want to spray a fine mist of materials such as sulfur dioxide, alumina, or calcium carbonate into the stratosphere. The sensors would then measure the reflectivity of the particles, the degree to which they disperse or coalesce, and the way they interact with other compounds in the atmosphere.

Not a conspiracy theory anymore it seems. Scientists want to spray the skies with reflective particles to cool the planet

This is geoengineering on a whole new level. Experts want to spray Earth’s skies with ‘reflective’ particles in order to cool down the planet.

Scientists from the university of Harvard want to launch aerosol ‘injections’ into Earth’s stratosphere at an altitude of 20,000 meters in order study the feasibility and risks of deliberately altering the climate to stop global warming, in what is considered the framework of the largest solar geoengineering program in the history of the planet.

The $ 20 million dollar project, funded substantially by Bill Gates and other foundations, will be launched in a few weeks and will aim to establish whether the technology can safely simulate the effects of atmospheric cooling caused by a volcanic eruption.

Next year, Harvard professors David Keith and Frank Keutsch hope to launch a high-altitude balloon, tethered to a gondola equipped with propellers and sensors, from a site in Tucson, Arizona.

As reported by MIT Technology Review, “After initial engineering tests, the ‘StratoCruiser’ would spray a fine mist of materials such as sulfur dioxide, alumina, or calcium carbonate into the stratosphere. The sensors would then measure the reflectivity of the particles, the degree to which they disperse or coalesce, and the way they interact with other compounds in the atmosphere.”

This ‘revolutionary’ project was first proposed in 2014.

“We would like to have the first flights next year,” he said at the Forum on U.S. Solar Geoengineering Research, held at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

The entire idea of the project is to help our planet fight global warming.

Scientists believe that by spraying certain types of particles into our planet’s stratosphere, more heat would be sent back into space. Scientists argue that this project must surely work because it’s how Mother Nature already works.

In the distant past, large volcanic eruptions have catapulted tens of millions of tons of sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere, which consequently contributed to lower global temperatures afterward.

In other words, scientists want to do what other nature already does.

However, scientists are still unsure as to how this technique could control temperatures around the globe, what particles to use, and what—if any—environmental side effects might appear.

Based on scientific data, experts know that—taking in count previous volcanic eruptions— there is a notable decrease in precipitation levels in certain parts of our planet, and sulfur dioxide is known to deplete Earth’s protective Ozone layer.

To combat this issue, professor Keith and his colleagues found out that by using calcite, a mineral made up of calcium carbonate, they could “cool the planet while simultaneously repairing the ozone layer.”

As noted by MIT Technology Review, Geoengineering critics are not convinced and warn that the climate systems are too complex to mess around with, and that the environmental risks are far too high, or that even talking about technological “fixes” could ease pressure to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Source: Harvard Scientists Moving Ahead on Plans for Atmospheric Geoengineering Experiments