Apparently breaking a contentious barrier in the realm of solar geoengineering, a Californian startup claims to have flown weather balloons that may have sprayed reflective sulfur particles in the stratosphere in order to cool the Earth.
Make Sunsets, owned by Luke Iseman, has attracted at least $500,000 in venture money since its foundation last year. Using a 6-foot weather balloon, sulfur, a stainless steel cooking pot with a cover, a pump that he removed from a water dispenser, and a tank of helium, Iseman conducted his own crude experiment back in April.
“I’m doing this because it needs to be done. And no one else is.”, he claimed during an interview with CNBC. And to help businesses mitigate the consequences of their carbon emissions, Make Sunsets is now offering “cooling credits,” which start at $10.
Geoengineering, which imitates a natural process that takes place in the wake of significant volcanic eruptions, refers to purposeful efforts to modify the climate by reflecting more sunlight back into space. As a matter of fact, spraying significant amounts of sulfur and related particles has the ability to reduce global warming. But at what cost?
Technically, releasing such substances into the stratosphere is not difficult. But most (though not all) scientists have avoided performing even small-scale outside studies so far.
The negative effects of sulfur dioxide emissions into the atmosphere include the potential for ozone layer destruction, respiratory disease, and acid rain. But according to UCLA environmental law expert Edward Parson, running a program that cools the Earth by 1 degree Celsius might cost as low as $10 billion year.
Most experts have disregarded the concept of simulating similar circumstances to combat climate change as more science fiction than actual science. However, the White House is now organizing a five-year research plan to explore the subject, and as the impacts of climate change have become more severe and visible, it has received more serious attention.
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