Around the world, ambitious projects are trying everything from seeding clouds with chemicals to dumping artificial whale droppings into the sea.
The objective is to remove CO2 from the atmosphere through processes called ‘geoengineering’ and ‘carbon capture’ and help mitigate climate change.
Geoengineering sees the sun’s heat reflected back into space to limit climate change, while ‘carbon capture’ captures CO2 from the air, either directly or by capturing it in rain, among other techniques.
Experts speaking to DailyMail.com say that research into these technologies is underway, and experiments will be carried out later this year.
‘Blocking the sun’ with sulfur particles
In a report last year, the White House cautiously supported new research on an idea straight out of science fiction: “blocking out the sun” to cool the atmosphere.
The federally mandated report says there is “a compelling argument for research to better understand both the potential benefits and risks.”
Big projects are investigating the benefits of cloud glow
The idea is backed by tech billionaire Bill Gates, who funded a major Harvard study into the feasibility of launching planes into the atmosphere on thousands of missions to release carbonate dust and cool the planet.
The project was abandoned after protests by indigenous groups.
An Israeli startup called Stardust Solutions is testing a system to scatter reflective particles about 60,000 feet high, to reflect sunlight away from Earth.
bright clouds over the sea
Another technique that solar geoengineering advocates believe could work is ‘Marine Cloud Brightening’, whereby tiny droplets are injected into clouds over the ocean to make them brighter and more reflective.
A $64.5 million project by Southern Cross University involves spraying a mixture including sea salt into low-altitude clouds in an effort to cool the waters around the Great Barrier Reef.
Sea cloud glow hopes to reflect sunlight delivering materials (including sea salt) to clouds such as stratocumulus to quickly reduce warming.
It reflects an effect caused by pollutants released by ships.
Some scientists suggest that solar geoengineering could cause a “termination shock” when it ends, where temperatures rebound quickly if geoengineering flights stop.
Others have warned that it could lead to conflict, for example, if a nation used geoengineering to cool a particular area and caused problems in another.
Dr Jens Holtvoeth, Senior Lecturer in Geology at Teesside University’s School of Health and Life Sciences, told DailyMail.com: “Solar engineering seeks to provide a rapid measure to temporarily cool the Earth’s atmosphere. Earth during the time it takes to reduce concentrations of the main atmospheric greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide and methane, which is a slow process.’
‘What we do know is that the risk of serious environmental damage from solar geoengineering measures, such as the injection of large quantities of sulfuric compounds into the atmosphere, is enormous.
“While some cooling can be achieved, artificial changes in temperature can also lead to a redistribution of precipitation that does not simply reverse the patterns caused by climate change.
“Changes in rainfall distribution would also affect terrestrial ecosystems and agricultural production in ways that are currently unpredictable.”
Saving the planet with whale poop
An experiment using artificial whale excrement (excrement) aims to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere thanks to phytoplankton.
Phytoplankton absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and researchers hope to increase the amount of CO2 absorbed by the oceans by 30 to 50 percent.
Whale poop helps control global warming
Phytoplankton blooms absorb carbon dioxide, one of the four major greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. After feeding on carbon dioxide, phytoplankton release oxygen in return.
Professor Sir David King, chair of the Center for Climate Repair at the University of Cambridge, hopes the technology – using artificial whale droppings to “feed” plankton – could capture half of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Absorb CO2 with crushed stones
The natural ability of rocks to absorb carbon could be used to “suck” CO2 from the atmosphere in large quantities.
Antti Vihavainen, CEO and co-founder of carbon accreditation and CO2 removal company Puro.earth, told DailyMail.com: “Carbon dioxide removal is a process of removing carbon from the atmosphere and, fundamentally, of its storage for hundreds or thousands of years. years.
Crushed rocks could help “fix” CO2 and slow global warming
One technique uses enhanced rock weathering, mimicking natural processes that removes 1.1 Gt of CO2 from the atmosphere per year, the emissions equivalent to 239 million cars.
Vihavainen said that in enhanced erosion, “it is accelerated from thousands of years to decades, by crushing large silicate rocks into fine particles or gathering residual rock from other processes, such as quarrying operations, and applying rocks to the soil.”
Vihavainen added: “It also carries double benefits: not only does it remove carbon from the atmosphere and store it for more than 1,000 years, but there are also huge agricultural benefits when the rocks are spread on fields: less need for traditional fertilizers and improved soil “. quality.
“ERW professionals are still collecting data from early trials and improving models to predict the rate of carbon sequestration.
Sucking CO2 from the air
Direct air capture (DAC) is one of the most ambitious (and expensive) ways to address climate change, using chemical reactions to extract CO2 from the air.
According to the International Energy Agency, there are more than 100 DAC projects around the world.
Direct air capture ‘sucks’ CO2 from the air
Heirloom Opens Direct Air Capture Facility in California in November 2023
In the United States, the startup Heirloom opened a direct air capture facility in California in November 2023 that uses limestone to capture CO2 from the atmosphere.
Shashak Samala, founder and CEO of Heirloom, said the facility is “the closest thing we have on Earth to a time machine, because it can turn back the clock on climate change.”