Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com, A project funded by Bill Gates "would help block out the sun. The Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment (SCoPEx) will spray a special calcium dust into the sky in order to reflect sunlight back into space. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. This is why, SCoPEx says, most research has focused on an aerosol chemical already found in the stratosphere: sulfuric acid, which is a pollutant. Its called solar radiation management, or solar geoengineering. To refine these models, scientists need to know how the aerosols interact with the atmosphere on a nanoscale. "President Biden confirm(ed) everyone will receive their $1k gas checks this week!! If you aren't really sure where to start, this solar panel is a failsafe option. "Decision-makers and the public they serve need balanced information about the effectiveness and risks of geoengineering," he wrote in that editorial. The Swedish Space Corporation has agreed to help launch a balloon close to the town of Kiruna, Forbes reported. New Findings Warn Earth Could Break Key Warming Barrier In 2033, Should Climate Scientists Stop Doing Research? 1.5K. Freezing temperatures in 1815 led to failed crops in near-famine conditions. Bill Gates has provided undisclosed amounts of funding to academic research into solar geoengineering research, which in turn helps to fund the SCoPEx project. The Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment (SCoPEx), launched by Harvard University scientists, aims to examine this solution by spraying non-toxic calcium carbonate (CaCO3) dust into the atmosphere a sun-reflecting aerosol that may offset the effects of global warming. As Keutsch has pointed out, this is not a fringe view, it is one held by several scientific bodies. It also has made him a frequent target for conspiracy theories. SCoPEx is also partially funded by Harvard's Solar Geoengineering Research program, which is also funded by foundations and donors, including Gates. David Keith has proposed the creation of a risk pool to compensate smaller nations for collateral damage caused by such tests, but such a payout might be little comfort to those displaced by unlivable conditions. Such geoengineering . It is true that no one knows what will happen until the CaCO3 is released and then studied afterward. Official govt docs expose Michelle Obamas 14 year history as a man., "Woody Harrelsons 60 seconds in the middle of his monologue was cut out of the edits released after the show., BREAKING Trump preps Marines to stop presidential coup.. Her favorite topics include nuclear energy, cosmology, math of everyday things, and the philosophy of it all. The exact amount of CaCO3 needed to cool the planet is unknown, and SCoPEx scientists similarly cannot confirm whether it is the best stratospheric aerosol for the job. Gates argument, as described during a 2010 TED Talk, is that humanity should not be in a position, if global warming gets bad enough that geoengineering needs to be taken seriously, where we do not have the research to fully understand the mechanics of that solution: If you get into that situation, it's like if you've been overeating, and you're about to have a heart attack. In a December 2020 Boston Globe editorial, he wrote: Why the sharp divergence between media and science? Microsoft's MSFT -2.2% billionaire founder Bill Gates is financially backing the development of sun-dimming technology that would potentially reflect sunlight out of Earth's atmosphere,. China threatens to shoot Nancy Pelosis plane down if she visits Taiwan., Know what they always find in Alzheimers patients? Aerosols are the gaseous clouds. Solar geoengineering involves using technology to try to reflect solar radiation back into space before it can interact with greenhouse gases. Bill Gates backs climate scientists lobbying for large-scale geoengineering Other wealthy individuals have also funded a series of reports into the future use of technologies to geoengineer. Such statements describe popularly held concerns about the concept of geoengineering as a whole. Lets just say the plan doesnt work out as intended. He is among the donors to a program thats funding a small-scale experiment proposed by Harvard researchers that would spray aerosols into the atmosphere to reflect sunlight back into space. The claim first surfaced in 2021 and has been previously debunked. ", BILL GATES IS PLANNING TO BLOCK OUT THE SUN. Its driven, in part, by a well-intentioned sense of caution that solar geoengineering will weaken efforts to cut carbon emissions. Other reports that misrepresented the project includeda story from the British tabloidThe Daily Mail, which warned of potential disasteras a result ofthe experiment. "It doesn't guarantee they'll make the right decision. Just as quickly as it was announced, a controversial solar geoengineering . Proponents of solar geoengineering, also known as solar radiation modification, say deployment of the technology could be a shortcut to slow a rise in global temperatures that is stoking more. Solar geoengineering is a subfield of geoengineering, which refers to efforts to alter the environment to limit the effects of climate change. Meanwhile, for a new prepublication report, the NASEM convened a committee of 16 international science luminaries to develop solar geoengineering research. And thats what this news really is: keeping options open and exploring the ramifications of a radical technology. The ultimate point of SCoPEx project is not to dim anything scientists do not need to test whether aerosols block sunlight, that fact is already well established but instead to release a small amount of the calcium carbonate (no more than 4.4 pounds) into the wake of a propeller-driven weather balloon flying 12 miles above the arctic, creating a diffuse cloud that is roughly 1000 yards long and 100 yards in diameter. Sie knnen Ihre Einstellungen jederzeit ndern, indem Sie auf unseren Websites und Apps auf den Link Datenschutz-Dashboard klicken. Elsewhere, the Carnegie Climate Governance Initiative (C2G) aims to get the United Nations to discuss solar geoengineering at the UN General Assembly in 2023though C2G emphasizes that its stance is strictly impartial, and that the initiative simply seeks effective governance of the technologies. RT @ToscaAusten: Bill Gates, farmer, philanthropist, climate cultist extraordinaire, and the newly invested multi-million dollar shareholder of Heineken, is dabbling in solar geoengineeringthe scientific process of bouncing the sun's rays back into space. St. Petersburg, FL But solar geoengineering is controversial, even according to the Harvard researchers who proposed the experiment. The name of the project is SCoPEx, or, Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment . The claim first surfaced in 2021 and has been previously debunked by multiple fact checkers. Both need to be studied, and likely more. Already, about 30% of the suns energy is reflected back into space by clouds and ice, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental nonprofit group. But late last month, a Harvard advisory committee that was set up to study the projects ethical implications recommended pushing back the test until a more thorough societal engagement process can be conducted to address issues related to solar geoengineering research in Sweden, Harvard wrote. The experiment is funded in part through Harvards Solar Geoengineering Research Program, and Bill Gates is among the donors to that program. Some have alleged Gates wants to block the sun. The eclipse is the first total solar eclipse since August 2017. David Keith, a professor of applied physics and public policy at Harvard University, recognizes the very many real concerns of geoengineering. In a future test, the team is planning to use a high-altitude balloon to lift a package holding calcium carbonate approximately 20 km into the atmosphere. It will only test the balloon, not release any aerosols. "Instead, it will observe how particles interact with one another, with the background stratospheric air, and with solar and infrared radiation. The claim that solar geoengineering is an effort to "block out the sun" is inaccurate; the technology is a riff on a naturally occurring process. Impacts will vary across regions, and there are uncertainties about the effects on weather patterns, agriculture, and the provision of basic needs of food and water.. Just as quickly as it was announced, a controversial solar geoengineering experiment backed by Bill Gates has . After Reuters reported on the effort in December 2020, the conservative Western Journal published a piecetitled "Bill Gates' Savior Complex Spirals Out of Control, Funds Sun-Dimming Plan To Save the Human Race," in which the writer portrays the project as a threat to humanity. Considering the unknown risks attached to solar geoengineering, OECD members should continue in their efforts to develop economically attractive renewable energy technology, even as it supplements such efforts with limited and careful research and experimentation. Carbon capture, where emissions are taken and sequestered beneath Earths surface, is another major form of geoengineering. SCoPEx planned a small pilot experiment, with the rationale that we need to scrutinize and consider the idea of solar geoengineering today so we dont end up relying on a totally untested technology in the future. Many anti-Gates stories and memes suggest Gates philanthropic efforts' stem from things he "wants" to happen. In terms of solar radiation management, that is not the case. The Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) released a . "We are not, for example, testing whether it's possible to scatter sunlight back to space, because there is no meaningful scientific uncertainty about that question.". Bei der Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps verwenden wir, unsere Websites und Apps fr Sie bereitzustellen, Nutzer zu authentifizieren, Sicherheitsmanahmen anzuwenden und Spam und Missbrauch zu verhindern, und, Ihre Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps zu messen, personalisierte Werbung und Inhalte auf der Grundlage von Interessenprofilen anzuzeigen, die Effektivitt von personalisierten Anzeigen und Inhalten zu messen, sowie, unsere Produkte und Dienstleistungen zu entwickeln und zu verbessern. Suggests a January traffic accident involving lab monkeys was responsible for spreading monkeypox to humans. Snopes said SCoPEx is also financed by the Fund for Innovative Climate and Energy Research (FICER), a fund for research grants co-created by Gates in 2007. Now, concerned that science fiction could end up becoming science fact in all the wrong ways, an international coalition of researchers and campaigners has called for an end to solar geoengineering plans. The proposed Harvard experiment would use a high-altitude balloon to lift instruments into the atmosphere and release aerosols. Despite simmering on the internet in recent weeks, Google Trends data suggested that people are still searching for answers. Advertisement - story continues below Now, apparently, he wants to save us from the sun. One example is cloud. These are gathered under the umbrella term solar geoengineering. The most common and studied method is to reflect sunlight away from Earth using aerosol particles in the atmosphere, but until now, this has been seen as more of a fringe idea. The indigenous peoples were successful, and the test was cancelled. But SCoPEx researcher and Harvard professor David Keithsays concerns like these are not supported by science. "We are not, for example, testing whether it's possible to scatter sunlight back to space, because there is no meaningful scientific uncertainty about that question.". The risks of solar geoengineering are poorly understood and can never be fully known, the scholars say. Geoengineering is a blanket term for technologies that try to alter Earths physical qualities on the largest scale possible. An effort to dim the sun to stop global warming has been scrapped by the Swedish Space Agency, who announced that the program, funded by Bill Gates, has 'divided the scientific community' and will therefore not be carried out. Aerosols are the gaseous clouds formed by particles of many common materials. With everyone from investors to indigenous groups involved in the process, SCoPEx will never get off the ground without a lot of diplomacy. For one thing, the methods could have unintended consequences on global weather patterns. Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates has been supporting a wide array of research on geoengineering since 2007, ScienceInsider has learned. Keith and fellow SCoPEx scientists published a paper in 2017 suggesting that the dust may actually replenish the ozone layer by reacting with ozone-destroying molecules. But there's another nightmare: It's that after bringing emissions to zero, we realize in hindsight that early use of geoengineering could have saved millions of lives lost in heat waves and helped preserve some of the natural world. The Western Journals reporting, and other claims in its vein, reference or combine a December 2020 Reuters story with elements of a scientifically confused profile of the SCoPEx project published in 2019 by the British tabloid Daily Mail. The concerns enumerated in Daily Mail and Reuters, when quoting from actual scientists, universally fall into the "slippery slope" line of reasoning the notion that the only reason for the incremental work proposed by SCoPEx is to realize a dream of actually geoengineering the planet. On the other hand we are expected to go to solar powered energy. The Daily Mail, a British tabloid newspaper, reported in August 2019 that Gates "wants to spray millions of tonnes of dust into the stratosphere to stop global warming.". STOP HIM. Her favorite topics include nuclear energy, cosmology, math of everyday things, and the philosophy of it all. Is Russias Only Aircraft Carrier Cursed? Bill Gates Is Thinking About Dimming the Sun, Everything You Need to Know About the Sun, These Are the 13 Biggest Planes in the World, want scientists to study solar geoengineering, Harvard Universitys Solar Geoengineering Research Program, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. The arguments underlying these concerns are outside the scope of this article, but a central feature of misinformed reporting on SCoPEx involves conflating scientists' or activists' views on solar radiation management in general with fears about SCoPEx specifically. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. Solar geoengineering with aerosols runs head into the fact that aerosols, like ozone layer-destroying chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) spray aerosols, have often been a contributor to climate change. Doing serious investigation of what its risks are and how well it could work provides the next generation with better information to make a more informed decision. The experiment is funded in part through Harvards Solar Geoengineering Research Program, and Bill Gates is among the donors to that program. These Experts Say Yes. Slippery-slope arguments aside, this is a far cry from an attempt to geoengineer the world. COVID-19 was created in a lab by EcoHealth, funded by Fauci and Gates, with Wuhan/CIA/DARPA. "They are ill-served if the geoengineerings real physical risks are conflated with the equally real political threat that geoengineering will be exploited by fossil fuel interest groups to block the transformation of our energy infrastructure away from carbon.". It sounds very much like the plot of one science fiction movie in particularnamely Bong Joon-hos 2013 film Snowpiercer, in which scientists release aerosols into the sky in a desperate bid to stop rampant global warming. Why Trust Us? 3 min read. One way of doing that is by pulling carbon dioxide. Large scale use of the processknown as solar geoengineeringis a "terrifying" concept that is only likely to be used in the future if significant regions of the planet become too warm to be habitable, Harvard University Professor Frank Keutsch told The Times. And its not just academics who object to the concept and practice of solar geoengineering. But in my view we have a duty to provide them with that information, so they can make those decisions in the face of really horrific climate risks.". The falsehood centers on a small-scale experiment that Harvard researchers proposed called SCoPEx, short for Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment that would spray aerosols into the atmosphere to reflect some sunlight back into space, a technology aimed at minimizing global warming. Bill Gates has provided undisclosed amounts of funding to academic research into solar geoengineering research, which in turn helps to fund the SCoPEx project. In a report made by that body, Gates' involvement is noted, but the proportion of the project funded by Gates is not publicly disclosed. The claim gained traction in mid-February as residents in the state of Texas faced deadly winter storms but continued to circulate on the social network this week. NO MORE CROPS, NO FOOD, NO PLANTS NO NOTHING!!! Jan. 5, 2021, USA Today, "Fact check: Bill Gates is not trying to 'block the sun's rays' in the name of climate change," April 23, 2021, Wilson Center, "Solar Radiation Management," Sept. 20, 2020. Brain Organoids Are Alive, But Are They Conscious? Instead, the balloon would test properties of the hardware and software needed for future trials, including propellers, power, data, navigation and the communication systems. The post also claims: "Geo engineering is actually a thing and Bill Gates has been backed to try and 'block out the sun'." According to the Met Office, geoengineering is the "deliberate large-scale manipulation of climate". It's relatively budget-friendly (solar panels can get expensive fast) and it performs. SCoPEx said its ongoing experiment aims to improve computer models of solar geoengineering by obtaining some real-world data about how chemicals react in the skies. SCoPEx will take a small step in its early research this June near the town of Kiruna, Sweden, where the Swedish Space Corporation has agreed to help launch a balloon carrying scientific equipment 12 miles (20 km) high. This is geoengineerings addiction problem, often called its moral hazard. In theory, solar geoengineering is based on the idea that experts can reduce the impact of global warming by reflecting sunlight back into space using chemicals. Caroline Delbert is a writer, avid reader, and contributing editor at Pop Mech. The world's richest man has provided at least $4.5 million of his own money over 3 years for the study of methods that could alter the stratosphere to reflect solar energy, techniques to filter carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere, and brighten . Scientists' concerns with solar radiation management generally fall into two categories: unknowns about potential unintended consequences in the global climate system, and the possibility such a solution, by providing a technological fix, would encourage further fossil fuel use in lieu of sustainable changes. Washington, DC Cocaine Bear Isnt the Only Animal Getting High. A small amount of material is then released to create a "perturbed air mass" about 100 yards wide and a half-mile long. Briefly, it is true that Gates has funded research that includes theoretical studies into the feasibility of solar radiation management. "The risks of solar geoengineering are poorly understood and can never be fully known," dozens of scientists wrote in an open letter to governments last year, imploring them to prohibit the technology. American journalist Jack Posobiec was arrested at World Economic Forum., The Uvalde, Texas, mass shooter was an illegal alien., Says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he wants Americas sons and daughters to go die in Ukraine., In Ohio, there are 75,000 acres of farmland, fertile farmland, that are all now being poured down with acid rain., Muslims by the millions are converting to Christianity.. Two key aspects of this are Greenhouse Gas Removal . They're capable of withstanding high winds and snow loads, they're anti-reflective, and extremely versatile. A review is ongoing to determine if the proposed balloon launch alongside the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) can go ahead. Concerned groups want a clearer understanding of consequences before the launch. The Keutsch group planned its first test flight for June 2021, which would. More than 45 heavyweight academics, law professors and writers have signed the letter, including award-winning author Amitav Ghosh, Sheila Jasanoff, Pforzheimer professor of science and technology studies at Harvard Kennedy School, and Raymond T. Pierrehumbert, Halley professor of physics at the University of Oxford. "One example is cloud seeding, where airplanes flush clouds with particulate matter in order to coalesce into rain.". The 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia resulted in the year without a summer, while the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines lowered global average temperatures by 0.5 C. Deliberate introduction of similar particles could potentially counter decades of greenhouse gas emissions. The project at issue in several sensationalized news stories, SCoPEx, is an experiment designed to collect data for the purpose of refining computer models that simulate solar radiation management, not to implement an actual test of the practice. stated on March 3, 2023 in a Conservative Political Action Conference speech: stated on February 19, 2023 in a Facebook post: stated on February 24, 2023 in an Instagram post: stated on March 2, 2023 in a speech at CPAC: stated on February 25, 2023 in a Facebook post: stated on February 22, 2023 in a Facebook post: stated on February 26, 2023 in an Instagram post: stated on February 27, 2023 in a Facebook post: All Rights Reserved Poynter Institute 2020, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. "People are right to fear over-reliance on technofixes. An FAQ published on the SCoPEx site says: "This knowledge will improve large-scale models that will in turn improve estimates of the overall efficacy and risks of solar geoengineering. Researcher Chris Field writes: Chapters in the report include the role of philanthropists like Gates, the goals of preparing future political decisionmakers, and the state of existing research about solar geoengineering. The post referstoHarvard'sStratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment, orSCoPEx, which is financially backed by Gates. A controversial, Bill Gates-backed sun-blocking experiment has been postponed for ethical reasons. In June 2021, some 30 groups of indigenous peoples from around the world called on Harvard University to abandon the Gates-backed plans to test its solar geoengineering tech with the help of the Swedish Space Corporation. SCoPEx,and geoengineering in general,aresomewhat controversial. She's also an enthusiast of just about everything. In 2015, the National Academies of Sciences, for example, released a two-part report on climate interventions like solar radiation management. The SCoPEx project is partially funded by the Harvard University Solar Geoengineering Research Program (SGRP), which lists Bill Gates as one of its philanthropic donors. The team noted: "The test will pose no significant hazard to people or the environment. This technology would trigger a global cooling effect," blared a viral tweet from RapTV, an . Gear-obsessed editors choose every product we review. These are ideal for residential or commercial rooftops, but they're compatible with a ground-mount as well. One of the more controversial suggestions is that we should simply prevent so much heat reaching Earth in the first place. A Harvard experiment named SCoPEx is supported in part by these initiatives. In other words, it's a very small-scale project, far from the climate-altering claims about it that have surfaced on social media. Bill Gates ' involvement with a geo-engineering experiment aimed at slowing climate breakdown has prompted viral conspiracy-laden claims centred around the idea that he "wants to block out the sun". Unlike sulfates, which can lead to ozone loss, calcium carbonate is not particularly reactive. As we see tha. Additionally, the project is not working to block or dim the sun. The small-scale experiment is "to test the risks and efficacy" of solar radiation management, the researchers said, and to gather information that cannot be obtained through computer modeling and lab work. Neither is it desirable, ethical, or politically governable.. We may earn commission if you buy from a link. Proponents of so-called solar geoengineering, such as tech billionaire Bill Gates, say techniques intended to block a portion of the solar radiation reaching the planet ought to be. Harvard researchers proposed a small-scale experiment that would spray aerosols into the atmosphere to reflect some sunlight back into space, a technology aimed at minimizing global warming.