An idea worthy of dystopian science fiction films has been seriously considered by experts and may even be put into practice. The United States and the European Union are studying measures to block the incidence of solar rays, with the objective of reducing the global temperature, which has been breaking historical records in recent days.
On Wednesday (5), the Office of Science and Technology Policy of the White House (OSTP) released a document in response to the US Congress related to “modification of solar radiation, also known as solar geoengineering”.
In the document, the current terms of rising temperatures caused by human action are placed, a detail of climate changes and point out that reducing the incidence of solar rays can be placed as a necessary action.
Among the suggested forms are the insertion of objects (both on the ground and at high altitudes) that have a high capacity to reflect this rooting. Another suggestion is to lighten the clouds, causing them to “bounce back” and not absorb the sun’s rays. Other actions detailed in the study are stratospheric aerosol injection and space-based methods.
“All of these methods would alter the fluxes of longwave (red) and shortwave (yellow) light,” the study points out.
The US government cautiously does not intend to make the study widely publicized. In a statement, the White House said the report “does not signify any change in government policy or activity” and that “there are no ongoing plans to establish a comprehensive research program focused on modifying solar radiation.”
The White House also informed that the information was released solely to meet a demand from the Legislature.
skeptical europe
In previous days, the European Union also addressed the issue. According to Bloomberg, the bloc’s countries are studying the security implications of large-scale interventions, such as deflecting solar rays, with the aim of combating global warming and consequent climate change.
“The EU will support international efforts to comprehensively assess the risks and uncertainties of climate interventions, including the modification of solar radiation,” says the document prepared by the European Union, according to Bloomberg.
“These technologies introduce new risks to people and ecosystems, while at the same time they can increase power imbalances between nations, trigger conflicts and raise a myriad of ethical, legal, governance and policy issues” continues the document.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
