Harvard Scientists Are Launching An Experiment To To Block Out The Sun To Tackle Climate Change

By Victor Omondi

For Scientists, there’s always something new to discover about the universe. If it’s not a new planet spotted somewhere in the space, then it’s some strange rock that will soon pass close to the planet earth. With every rising of the sun, there’s something new to add to the chronicles of Science.

Currently, a group of Scholars from Harvard is planning to tackle climate change by blocking out the sun through geoengineering. Well, the idea of artificially reflecting sun rays has been there for many years, but it’s going to be the first time humans are trying to do it practically.

The Harvard Scientists are going to spend approximately $3 million to launch the project by the name Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment (SCoPEx). The allocated amount is meant to take of the tests to be carried out on their models.

Based on the project details, the Scientists are planning to set up a steerable balloon in the southwest US 20 kilometers into the stratosphere. As soon as the balloon is in place, it will release small particles of Calcium Carbonate. The scholars are planning to launch the project before the onset of the spring of 2019.

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The reason behind this experiment is to study the effects of large volcanic eruptions on the earth’s temperature. Back in 1991, Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines erupted producing more than 20 million tonnes of Sulphur Dioxide into the stratosphere

The particles created a blanket in the stratosphere lowering the earth’s temperature by 0.5 °C for more than a year.

Climate change has been a major concern in different parts of the globe, and so, scientists and governmental agencies are turning to geoengineering with the ultimate goal to reduce the warming on the earth and possibly gain control of the climate changes.

To achieve this, scientists can either reduce greenhouse gas emissions, suck CO2 from the atmosphere, or limit the sunlight that reaches Earth’s surface. For the first two methods, we can already some progress.

The recent commitment of G20 members to the Paris Agreement will act to solve the source of the problem by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The CO2 sequestration which involves sucking CO2 from the atmosphere and locking it out in the earth’s crust has already been deployed and implemented.

Source: Harvard Scientists Are Launching An Experiment To To Block Out The Sun To Tackle Climate Change