sb.scorecardresearch

Published 23:16 IST, April 26th 2019

Solar Geoengineering: Earth's own suntan lotion to counter the scorching heat, scientists ponder on its possibility

Harvard researches have suggested that "stratospheric aerosol injection" or solar engineering would be a possible way to counter rising global warming. 

Follow: Google News Icon
  • share
Solar Geoengineering: Earth's own suntan lotion to counter the scorching heat, scientists ponder on its possibility
null | Image: self

Sunscreen, the human mechanism to fight the sun's scorching heat maybe experimented on the atmosphere too.

Harvard researches have suggested that "stratospheric aerosol injection" or solar engineering would be a possible way to counter rising global warming. 

“Solar geoengineering – injecting aerosol particles into the stratosphere to reflect away a little inbound sunlight – is being discussed as a way to cool the planet, fast,” explain leading scientists.

Basically, the suggestion is to create a gaseous sunshade for the earth to protect it from rising global temperatures.

PepsiCo wanted to advertise from space with the help of orbiting satellites; here’s what happened

While scientists have claimed solar geoengineering to be outlandish and unsettling as it involves technologies used in science-fiction, they have said that such approaches could be realised technically and politically.

"The technique is controversial, and rightly so. It is too early to know what its effects would be: it could be very helpful or very harmful. Developing countries have the most to gain or lose. In our view, they must maintain their climate leadership and play a central part in research and discussions around solar geoengineering," said scientists to Nature magazine.

The process would involve jets lacing the stratosphere with sunlight-blocking particles, and fleets of ships spraying seawater into low-lying clouds to make them whiter and brighter to reflect sunlight, which does paint a future sci-fi adventure major movie houses may foray into.

People have taken to Twitter to either panic over sun shading earth or to promote the sci-fi vision.

Updated 23:30 IST, April 26th 2019