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"Geoengineering is a blanket term for technologies that try to alter Earths physical qualities on the largest scale possible," Popular Mechanics reported. The letter goes on to call for five measures to be adhered to by the international community: no public funding for solar geoengineering; no outdoor experiments; no patents for solar geoengineering tech; no deployment of such tech; and no support for solar geoengineering from international institutions. Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com, A project funded by Bill Gates "would help block out the sun. If you aren't really sure where to start, this solar panel is a failsafe option. Now, concerned that science fiction could end up becoming science fact in all the wrong ways, an international coalition of researchers and campaigners has called for an end to solar geoengineering plans. This week, the influential National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) also released a new report urging the U.S. government to spend at least $100 million to study solar geoengineering, a controversial technology. Further research on this and similar methods could lead to reductions in risks and improved efficacy of solar geoengineering methods, write the authors of the paper. 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Bill Gates, who recently suggested the world should eat 100 percent synthetic beef and said bitcoin is bad for the planet, has set his sights on a new foe: the sun. I'm not sure that's wise, given the importance of the problem, but there's now the geoengineering discussion about: Should that be in the back pocket in case things happen faster, or this innovation [in sustainable energy] goes a lot slower than we expect? The first takeoff would not release aerosols into the skies, however. He's also known for wanting to save us from ourselves. After much investigation, the team settled on using calcium carbonatechalk, essentiallyas an ideal light-blocking particle. But the same factors that make solar geoengineering a radical idea make it almost impossible to test, even on the small scale. The current global governance system is unfit to develop and implement the far-reaching agreements needed to maintain fair, inclusive, and effective political control over solar geoengineering deployment, they say, noting that, for example, the United Nations Security Council, dominated by only five countries with veto power, lacks the global legitimacy that would be required to effectively regulate solar geoengineering deployment., Frank Biermann, professor of global sustainability governance at Utrecht University and one of the letters initiators, summed up the signatories stance by saying: Solar engineering is not necessary. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has funded a project to study such a technology. SCoPEx,and geoengineering in general,aresomewhat controversial. Neither is it desirable, ethical, or politically governable.. It sounds very much like the plot of one science fiction movie in particularnamely Bong Joon-hos 2013 film Snowpiercer, in which scientists release aerosols into the sky in a desperate bid to stop rampant global warming. Both need to be studied, and likely more. In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts. Such statements describe popularly held concerns about the concept of geoengineering as a whole. Early research suggests that the substance has near-ideal optical properties that would allow it to absorb far less radiation that sulfate aerosols, causing significantly less stratospheric heating. Scientists say this lack of concrete information and consensus is a critical failure that must be corrected with new studies. of Solar Radiation Management," Jan. 25, 2015, Philosophical Transactions of The Royal Society, "Stratospheric controlled perturbation experiment: a small-scale experiment to improve understanding of the risks of solar geoengineering," 2014, PolitiFact, "No, Bill Gates did not outline 2018 plan to depopulate the planet," May 3, 2018, PolitiFact, "No, the Gates Foundation isnt pushing microchips with all medical procedures," May 20, 2020, Popular Mechanics, "Bill Gates Will Have to Wait a While to Block the Sun," April 12, 2021, Popular Mechanics, "Bill Gates Is Thinking About Dimming the Sun," March 26, 2021, Poynter, "Claims that Bill Gates is going to block the sun lack context," April 15, 2021, Scientific American, "Solar Geoengineering Should be Investigated, Scientists Say," March 26, 2021, Snopes, "Is Bill Gates Funding Efforts To Block The Sun?" As noted by Nature in 2018, the concept in a broad sense is designed to spray particles into the stratosphere that may cool the planet by reflecting some of the Sun's rays. Daily Star, "Bill Gates hatches 'horribly stupid' plan to block out the Sun - just like Mr Burns," Feb. 21, 2022, David Keiths Research Group, "Fund for Innovative Climate and Energy Research," accessed Feb. 25, 2022, Harvards Solar Geoengineering Research Program, "Funding," accessed Feb. 25, 2022, Keutsch Group at Harvard, "SCoPEx," accessed Feb. 25, 2022, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, "New Report Says U.S. Should Cautiously Pursue Solar Geoengineering Research to Better Understand Options for Responding to Climate Change Risks," March 25, 2021, Natural Resources Defense Council, "The Dept. Widespread use of technology that dims natural sunlight to help fight climate change should only be used as a last resort, scientists have warned. The eclipse is the first total solar eclipse since August 2017. Geo-Solar Engineering to Save the Planet By Nancy Thorner Reported by Frank Bergman on February 18, 2023: George Soros, worth 10 billion as of 2023, is pushing a plan to block the sun to fight climate change as a way to cool Earth's global temperature.. Soros outlined his plan during his address at the Munich Security Conference on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2023. Geoengineering is the term for technologies that try to alter Earths physical qualities on the largest scale possible. The claim among Twitter users is that Gates' involvement with the academic project is somehow nefarious, and that he ultimately wants to "block the sun" from the Earth. Billionaire philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is no stranger to conspiracy theories and speculation about the projects he funds. It's relatively budget-friendly (solar panels can get expensive fast) and it performs. Bill Gates's PR companies are again reporting on a UN study that is pushing for atmospheric modification to block the sun. Unlike sulfates, which can lead to ozone loss, calcium carbonate is not particularly reactive. "It doesn't guarantee they'll make the right decision. Fact check: Bill Gates is not trying to 'block the sun's rays' in the name of climate change. STOP HIM. This is why, SCoPEx says, most research has focused on an aerosol chemical already found in the stratosphere: sulfuric acid, which is a pollutant. The worst case scenario is that humankind faces an extreme climate emergency, but knows nothing about even the long-shot ways to address it. Geoengineering Monitor, accessed April 23, David Keith's Research Group at Harvard University, October 19, 2020, ", Keutsch Group at Harvard, accessed April 23, ", Philosophical Transactions of The Royal Society, April, 17, 2018, ", Harvard's Solar Geoengineering Research Program, accessed April 23, ", Harvard'sStratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment. The SCoPEx team is aiming to collect data to enhance computer models and has said it plans to release a nontoxic chemical, but not to scatter sunlight back into space. The ultimate aim is not to roll out some major solar geoengineering apparatus, but to collect data that will better inform computer models, researchers said. Due to the controversial subject matter (more on that below) and the fact that it is privately funded, SCoPEx is overseen by an outside panel of advisers run by Harvard. This group signs off on major research decisions and audits SCoPEx's finances. This is the purpose of the experiment: once a safe, experimental amount of CaCO3 is released, the balloon will fly through it, sampling atmospheric reactions and recording resulting dynamics. These claims have. But if we dont understand how solar geoengineering will affect the world, by the time we need it as an option in our climate playbook, it will be too late. The moon partially covers the sun in a cloudy sky during a solar eclipse on 2 July 2018 in Quito, Ecuador. 20006, Florida The experiment is funded in part through Harvards Solar Geoengineering Research Program, and Bill Gates is among the donors to that program. The experiment involves launching a high-altitude balloon about 12 miles into the atmosphere, according to its website. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Make a DIY Cigar Box Florescent Rock Display. Weitere Informationen ber die Verwendung Ihrer personenbezogenen Daten finden Sie in unserer Datenschutzerklrung und unserer Cookie-Richtlinie. Gates and other private donors are supporting Harvard Universitys Solar Geoengineering Research Program, which had planned to launch a new study based in Sweden in June researching the efficacy of blocking sunlight from reaching Earths surface. Proponents of so-called solar geoengineering, such as tech billionaire Bill Gates, say techniques intended to block a portion of the solar radiation reaching the planet ought to be considered. Next, they say, the technologies could be used by governments or corporations to prevent work on other, less risky methods to combat climate change, such as reducing the use of fossil fuels. Claim that Bill Gates is scheming to block the sun is wrong If Your Time is short Harvard researchers proposed a small-scale experiment that would spray aerosols into the atmosphere to. The World Economic Forum has its own police force. While Gates is one of geoengineering research's most significant (at least in financial terms) champions, his funding of this research does not stem from a desire to implement so-called "last-ditch" solutions. The Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment (SCoPEx) will spray a special calcium dust into the sky in order to reflect sunlight back into space. She's also an enthusiast of just about everything. Gates argument, as described during a 2010 TED Talk, is that humanity should not be in a position, if global warming gets bad enough that geoengineering needs to be taken seriously, where we do not have the research to fully understand the mechanics of that solution: If you get into that situation, it's like if you've been overeating, and you're about to have a heart attack. The claim gained traction in mid-February as residents in the state of Texas faced deadly winter storms but continued to circulate on the social network this week. Gates did not create such a plan. In the future, a small amount of the dustbetween 100g to 2kgwould be released to study atmospheric changes. The speculative possibility of future solar geoengineering risks becoming a powerful argument for industry lobbyists, climate denialists, and some governments to delay decarbonization policies, the authors write. It's made ofPET, EVA and monocrystalline silicon, and it'santi-reflective andhigh transparency. But in my view we have a duty to provide them with that information, so they can make those decisions in the face of really horrific climate risks.". These are gathered under the umbrella term solar geoengineering. The most common and studied method is to reflect sunlight away from Earth using aerosol particles in the atmosphere, but until now, this has been seen as more of a fringe idea. Aerosols are the gaseous clouds. Scientists have postponed the billionaire-backed study of the controversial technology called solar geoengineering. Two key aspects of this are Greenhouse Gas Removal . Geoengineering techniques such as solar radiation management (SRM) could be part of a future technology portfolio to limit global temperature change. The team noted: "The test will pose no significant hazard to people or the environment. The most commonly proposed method is to use aerosols "the gaseous clouds formed by particles of many common materials" because the physical structure of their particles blocks and scatters light, according to Popular Mechanics. "One example is cloud seeding, where airplanes flush clouds with particulate matter in order to coalesce into rain.". Measuring the ways that aerosols alter stratospheric chemistry can, for example, improve the ability of global models to predict how large-scale geoengineering could possibly disrupt stratospheric ozone. SATAN 202333Rhoda Wilson 9 Carbon capture, where emissions are taken and sequestered beneath Earths surface, is another major form of geoengineering. The science has spoken. COVID-19 was created in a lab by EcoHealth, funded by Fauci and Gates, with Wuhan/CIA/DARPA. Scientists' concerns with solar radiation management generally fall into two categories: unknowns about potential unintended consequences in the global climate system, and the possibility such a solution, by providing a technological fix, would encourage further fossil fuel use in lieu of sustainable changes. Bill Gates wants to spray millions of tonnes of dust into the stratosphere to stop global warming but critics fear it could trigger calamity, The world needs to explore solar geoengineering as a tool to fight climate change, SCoPEx: Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment, Stratospheric controlled perturbation experiment:a small-scale experiment toimprove understanding of therisks of solar geoengineering, Claims that Bill Gates is going to block the sun lack context, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. The claim that solar geoengineering is an effort to "block out the sun" is inaccurate; the technology is a riff on a naturally occurring process. "Decision-makers and the public they serve need balanced information about the effectiveness and risks of geoengineering," he wrote in that editorial. In the case of Keutsch's experiment, the chemical will be calcium carbonate, which is essentially a chalk dust. Researcher Chris Field writes: Chapters in the report include the role of philanthropists like Gates, the goals of preparing future political decisionmakers, and the state of existing research about solar geoengineering. China threatens to shoot Nancy Pelosis plane down if she visits Taiwan., Know what they always find in Alzheimers patients? International cooperation will be required to assess the risks, winners, and losers of any such experiment, and how best to proceed with all in mind. The small-scale experiment is "to test the risks and efficacy" of solar radiation management, the researchers said, and to gather information that cannot be obtained through computer modeling and lab work. Carbon capture, where emissions are taken and sequestered beneath Earths surface, is another major form of geoengineering. Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. Bill Gates, Harvard, To Begin Blocking Sun In Spring Of 2019. The concerns enumerated in Daily Mail and Reuters, when quoting from actual scientists, universally fall into the "slippery slope" line of reasoning the notion that the only reason for the incremental work proposed by SCoPEx is to realize a dream of actually geoengineering the planet. In 2015, the National Academies of Sciences, for example, released a two-part report on climate interventions like solar radiation management. These are gathered under the umbrella term solar geoengineering. The most common and studied method is to reflect sunlight away from Earth using aerosol particles in the atmosphere, but until now, this has been seen as more of a fringe idea. "Instead, it will observe how particles interact with one another, with the background stratospheric air, and with solar and infrared radiation. Slippery-slope arguments aside, this is a far cry from an attempt to geoengineer the world. If given the go-ahead, the experiment could take place in June, 2021, from the Esrange Space Center in Kiruna, Sweden. The process is not without controversy, as some experts have voiced fears that blasting chemicals into our immediate orbit tampers with the natural order, making weather less predictable or threatening populations' food supplies by causing drought. Advertisement - story continues below Now, apparently, he wants to save us from the sun. The Gates-supported study seeks to do exploratory, small-scale experiments in the atmosphere: Calcium carbonate is a plentiful and harmless mineral thats also the active ingredient in Tums.