Experiments to dim the SUN in bid to curb global warming will be approved by the UK government within weeks
Proper news from Britain - News from Britain you won’t find anywhere else. Not the tosh the big media force-feed you every day!
There's nothing quite like going for a walk on a bright, spring day.
But basking in the sunshine could soon be a thing of the past.
That's because it has emerged that experts are planning on dimming the sun in a bid to curb global warming.
Experiments to reflect sunlight away from Earth will be given the green light by the Government within weeks, the Telegraph reports.
Outdoor trials could include injecting aerosols into the atmosphere or brightening clouds to reflect sunshine.
The government's Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) has set aside £50 million for projects which will be announced in the coming weeks.
Professor Mark Symes, programme director for ARIA, said there would be 'small controlled outdoor experiments on particular approaches'.
'We have strong requirements around the length of time experiments can run for and their reversibility and we won't be funding the release of any toxic substances to the environment,' he said.
Solar geoengineering refers to a set of proposed technologies designed to reduce global warming by reflecting a portion of incoming sunlight back into space.
While scientists agree there is a need to quickly and dramatically cut carbon dioxide emissions, there are also concerns about the possible risks of geoengineering.
Critics have voiced worries that geoengineering endeavours could backfire and even make climate change worse by triggering destructive weather patterns.
One area of research involves Sunlight Reflection Methods. This includes Stratospheric Aerosol Injection, whereby tiny particles are released into the stratosphere to reflect sunlight.
Another potential solution is Marine Cloud Brightening in which ships would spray sea-salt particles into the sky to enhance the reflectivity of low-lying clouds.
It follows observations in recent decades that the clouds above shipping routes were far brighter than usual.
Pollution from the sulphur-burning ships caused them to be more reflective of sunlight, creating an overall dimming and cooling effect.
Jim Haywood, Professor of Atmospheric Science at the University of Exeter said: 'If you inject small particles into clouds you can brighten them, hence reflecting more sunlight back out to space.
'How do we know this could work? Well there are a couple of very strong pieces of evidence.
'Ship emissions from the smoke stack into the marine environment lead to bright lines in clouds over the ocean.
'Then there was a volcanic eruption in Iceland in 2014 which spilled out a lot of sulphur dioxide. What this does is it brightens clouds and cools the planet. What we need to do is some form of field experiments.'
Experts are hopeful that if experiments prove a success, they could be scaled up and implemented within 10 years.
As well as outdoor experiments, Aria will also be funding new modelling studies, indoor tests, climate monitoring and gauging public attitudes to geoengineering.
Other geoengineering projects currently being tested around the world include sucking carbon dioxide out of the air with giant fans, 'ocean fertilisation' which involves adding nutrients to the upper ocean to stimulate plant growth, and planting trees in areas where there was previously no forest.
Research published in 2018 suggested that artificially cooling Earth could destroy our planet if the process is abruptly stopped.
A study found that if the aerosol approach is attempted and then suddenly halted, the planet could warm 10 times faster than normal.
Experts have previously warned the technique is a 'risky strategy' that could wreak havoc on our weather patterns, triggering severe droughts or devastating cyclones.
The study from Rutgers University in New Jersey found that suddenly halting so-called 'solar geoengineering' would have severe impacts on our climate.
The stoppage would drastically accelerate climate change, with severe consequences for the planet's wildlife, researchers said.
'Rapid warming after stopping geoengineering would be a huge threat to the natural environment and biodiversity,' study coauthor Professor Alan Robock said.
'If geoengineering ever stopped abruptly, it would be devastating, so you would have to be sure that it could be stopped gradually, and it is easy to think of scenarios that would prevent that.
'Imagine large droughts or floods around the world that could be blamed on geoengineering, and demands that it stop. Can we ever risk that?'
WHAT ARE THE SIDE EFFECTS OF GEOENGINEERING STRATEGIES?
Scientists have proposed all sorts of solutions to fight climate change, including a number of controversial geoengineering strategies.
Among the many include:
Afforestation: This technique would irrigate deserts, such as those in Australia and North Africa, to plant millions of trees that could absorb carbon dioxide.
Drawback: This vegetation would also draw in sunlight that the deserts currently reflect back into space, and so contribute to global warming.
Artificial ocean upwelling: Engineers would use long pipes to pump cold, nutrient-rich water upward to cool ocean-surface waters.
Drawback: If this process ever stopped it could cause oceans to rebalance their heat levels and rapidly change the climate.
Ocean alkalinisation: This involves heaping lime into the ocean to chemically increase the absorption of carbon dioxide.
Drawback: Study suggests it will have of little use in reducing global temperatures.
Ocean iron fertilisation: The method involves dumping iron into the oceans to improve the growth of photosynthetic organisms that can absorb carbon dioxide.
Drawback: Study suggests it will have of little use in reducing global temperatures.
Solar radiation management: This would reduce the amount of sunlight Earth receives, by shooting reflective sulphate-based aerosols into the atmosphere.
Drawback: Carbon dioxide would still build up in the atmosphere.
.jpg)
