Make Sunsets is one of the most unconventional start-ups in a region filled with wild ideas, such as California’s Silicon Valley. Luke Iseman, 41, and his co-founder, Andrew Song, 38, claim that by releasing sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere, they can reflect some of the sun’s energy back into space, thereby cooling the planet with the aim of combating the phenomenon of climate change.
It is a bold venture, but it at least has a solid scientific basis. As a matter of fact, for 50 years, climate scientists have suggested that the release of aerosols into the stratosphere could act as a buffer and reduce the sun’s temperature. Volcanic eruptions have as well temporarily cooled the planet in this way in the past, but no one has attempted to deliberately replicate the effect on a large scale.
The company is currently releasing sulfur dioxide on a relatively small scale. However, some experts warn that broader initiatives to alter the relationships between Earth’s atmosphere, oceans, land and sea ice could lead to disastrous consequences in environmental terms. For example, blocking the sunlight could disrupt the monsoon season, which is critical for agriculture, income and food security in India, and consequently distort economic and social balances.
By embracing the “move fast and break things” mindset that is typical of Silicon Valley, the founders of Make Sunsets are not deterred by these risks. Instead, they are offering “cooling credits” to customers who want to compensate for their carbon emissions. A few times a month, after accumulating enough credits, they go into the hills and release balloons filled with sulfur dioxide up in the sky.
“This is the one tool realistically that can cool Earth in our lifetime,” stated Mr. Iseman. “Every day we’re not doing this leads to needless harm”.
While on the other hand, Sikina Jinnah, a professor of environmental studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz and a specialist in geoengineering, is concerned about the potential damage that this experiment could produce. “These are a group of technology entrepreneurs who do not have the expertise to deliver what they promise,” she said. “They are not scientists and are making claims about cooling that have not been validated by anyone”.
Although it has been scientifically proven that climate change poses a real threat to human survival and beyond, scientists are still dubious about the evolution and implementation of these efforts aimed at reducing pollutant emissions.
Certainly this initiative by startup Make Sunsets is commendable, but nevertheless, concerns have been highlighted by experts as this is not the first time such experiments have been conducted.
