Solar-powered aerosols could slow global warming



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The technique would involve spraying large quantities of sulphate particles in the lower stratosphere at altitudes up to 12 miles. Scientists propose to deliver sulphates with specially designed aircraft, balloons or large naval guns.

Despite the fact that the technology has not yet been developed and that no aircraft is suitable for adaptation, the researchers say that "to develop a new, specially built tanker with a large payload capacity, would not be technologically difficult or excessively expensive ".

They estimate the total cost of launching a hypothetical SAI system in 15 years at around $ 3.5 billion, with operating costs of $ 2.25 billion a year over a 15-year period.

The report recognizes, however, that this technique is purely hypothetical for the moment.

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"We are not making any judgment on the desirability of an SAI," the report says. "We are simply showing that a hypothetical deployment program starting in 15 years, while being very uncertain and ambitious, would in fact be technically feasible from an engineering point of view, it would also be extremely cheap."

They also recognize the potential risks – coordination between several countries in both hemispheres would be needed and ISI techniques could jeopardize crop yields, drought or extreme weather conditions.

The proposals also do not address the issue of increasing greenhouse gas emissions, which are one of the main causes of global warming.

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And despite the belief of the report's lead authors, some other experts were skeptical.

"From the point of view of the climate economy, the management of solar radiation remains a much worse solution than greenhouse gas emissions: more expensive and much more risky in the long term," said Philippe Thalmann of the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. climate change economy, told CNN.

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