Is Sun-Dimming Technology a Viable Climate Change Solution?

Wow, I just had to write a quick blog post about an article I just read about Bill Gates and his financing of a sun-dimming technology designed to reverse climate change by reflecting sunlight out of the Earth’s atmosphere.  I love science fiction, and this concept seems as “science-fictiony” as it gets, so needless to say I was highly intrigued!

What the Heck is Sun-Dimming Technology?

This is definitely a very interesting concept.  The specific solution is called the Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment (SCoPEx), and it was recently launched by Harvard University scientists.  The solution is designed to spray a non-toxic, sun-reflecting calcium carbonate dust into the atmosphere to cool temperatures.

While it may sound innocent enough, research and innovation in this area has been stalled in recent years due to a fear of the geoengineering triggering some type of unforeseen weather event or risk.  Therefore, SCoPEx is treading lightly.

The initial baby step is to launch a balloon device in Sweden – it will not be carrying any “magic dust” but it will serve as a test of the navigation, communication and operation of the device.  If successful, the next step would be to release a small amount of the magic dust into the atmosphere during the next test run.

Overall, the team of scientists working on the sun-dimming technology needs to proceed slowly and carefully, because no knows how much calcium carbonate is required to affect any type of change.  It’s a tricky proposition that will no doubt require many rounds of trial and error to perfect.

That being said, I applaud the effort.  All I know is that if climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of stormy weather, then any innovations that can help stem the tide are worth researching.  Whether it’s sun-dimming technology or something else, as Wayne Gretzky once said, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.