Dimming the Sun Like a Volcano? This Climate Fix Could Backfire Horribly
Original story by: Gizmodo.com
Last updated: Oct 22, 2025
Ad
- Context: New research suggests that stratospheric aerosol injections (SAI), a theoretical method to cool the planet by reflecting sunlight, may be a flawed approach. The study highlights a wider range of potential negative consequences than previously appreciated, impacting physical, political, and economic factors.
Ad
Ad
- Detailed Summary:
- SAI involves dispersing sunlight-reflecting particles in the upper atmosphere, mimicking volcanic eruptions to cool Earth.
- Existing studies indicate SAI's success hinges on precise details like timing, amount, altitude, and latitude of particle release, with polar releases potentially disrupting monsoons and equatorial releases affecting global air circulation.
- The researchers argue that the necessary centralized and coordinated global deployment of SAI is highly unlikely given current geopolitical realities.
- Historical events like the Mount Pinatubo eruption, while causing a temporary temperature drop, also led to negative consequences such as monsoon disruption, reduced rainfall, and ozone depletion.
- Using sulfate aerosols, similar to volcanic compounds, could result in acid rain and soil contamination, leading to proposals for alternative materials like calcium carbonate and alpha alumina.
- However, many proposed materials are not abundant enough for realistic yearly injection, and even potentially scalable candidates like calcium carbonate and alpha alumina face dispersion issues, clumping into unpredictable concentrations.
- The study emphasizes that SAI is more complex and unpredictable than current climate models suggest, involving significant risk trade-offs, and may not offer a singular solution to global warming.
Ad
Ad