The Joe Biden-led US administration seems to be open to studying the possibility of blocking the sun's rays to alter the Earth's atmosphere, according to a new report it released on Friday. The report drew the attention of scientists and science enthusiasts around the world as an idea formerly confined to science fiction was now being practically explored, including its potentially far-reaching implications. The White House, however, also indicated that for now there was no change in their climate strategy.
Solar radiation modification is the conceptual idea of artificially altering sunlight in order to control the cooling of the planet. It has generated much debate because while it could help effectively fight climate change, it has not been fully understood yet. Experts have derided this concept, considering this another effort as what is popularly known as "geoengineering", without fully understanding how dangerous it could be.
The White House was also careful in its release, noting the degree of scepticism about studying the idea, and warning of its potential to create new problems rather than solve existing ones. All the same, it was significant that the administration had even opened the door to the relatively unknown, yet far-reaching concept. The report came out in the same week the European Union opened the door to discussions on solar engineering internationally.
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The congressionally mandated report discussed plausible ways to carry out solar radiation modification but also considered the drawbacks of each one. These methods ranged from injecting aerosols into the atmosphere to manually changing cloud patterns. All ways to limit the amount of sunlight hitting the earth and therefore, arrest some of climate change's worst impacts.
The report also highlighted the drawbacks of everything from human health to biodiversity and geopolitics. It noted that the modifications could disrupt global weather patterns and disrupt food supplies worldwide. Such reasons, alongside the possibility that tinkering with sun rays could permanently alter the chemical makeup of the Earth's atmosphere, have created further scepticism about the whole idea in the scientific community.
The report even underlined how it could have socioeconomic and ecological outcomes, saying that, "Of particular importance is consideration of potential jeopardy to diverse communities and intergenerational equity", and highlighted other cultural, moral and ethical considerations.
As international discussions started to explore solar radiation modification, the White House's report served to highlight extreme caution and care going forward in the study of the idea.
