The Isrange Space Center, operated by the Swedish Space Agency, is equipped with a large balloon launch facility. The picture shows the launch of a space observation telescope BLAST connected to a large instrument at the Isrange Space Center in 2005. SSC provided
Could global warming be slowed down by spraying an aerosol in the stratosphere to block sunlight at a certain level? The brakes are being put on the development of geotechnical technology, which was considered the last bastion to combat global warming.
The Swedish Space Agency announced on the 1st (local time) that the test flight, which attempted to spray an aerosol by flying a balloon in the stratosphere, was eventually canceled due to fierce opposition from environmental groups. Researchers at New York University in the U.S. also published a paper on the 5th (local time) in the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), which requires that geoengineering technologies should first consider the impact on ecosystems as they can cause catastrophes, such as reducing the species diversity of ecosystems.
As global warming caused by climate change is accelerating, for several years, the scientific community has introduced various engineering methods to lower the global temperature by artificially manipulating sunlight, such as covering or reflecting sunlight. These technologies are collectively called geoengineering or climate engineering.
First of all, there is a technology that reflects sunlight. By spraying seawater into the sky with a large pump to create clouds, the clouds reflect sunlight and reduce the amount of sunlight entering the earth. There is also the idea of installing a huge reflector in space to reflect sunlight into space altogether. You can also paint the roof of a building in white to increase the reflectance of sunlight.
You can also spray sun-blocking substances into the atmosphere. When aerosol is sprayed into the stratosphere, the aerosol blocks the incidence of sunlight, reducing the amount of sunlight reaching the surface. At the time of the eruption of Pinatubo in the Philippines in 1991, sulfurous acid gas erupted from the volcano climbed into the stratosphere and acted as an aerosol to block sunlight, and the result of the investigation was that the global average temperature at that time dropped by 0.5 degrees.
A conceptual diagram explaining the principle of the’SCoPEx (stratosphere control perturbation experiment)’ project underway by Harvard University. A gondola containing calcium carbonate particles is loaded onto an apparatus, placed in the stratosphere, and sprayed to check the effect of blocking sunlight. Provided by Harvard University
Harvard University in the United States is the most advanced in geoengineering technology research. Frank Koichi, a professor at Harvard University’s Department of Mechanical and Applied Engineering and Department of Chemical and Chemical Engineering, carried 600 kg of calcium carbonate particles on a large instrument and went up to the stratosphere 20 km above the ground and sprayed from 100 g to 2 kg. ‘SCoPEx (stratosphere control perturbation experiment)’ project is in progress.
This project attracted attention in that the idea was first disclosed through a thesis in 2014, and it was the world’s first demonstration of geotechnical technology that blocks sunlight as it proceeded to a full-fledged flight test in 2018. Last year, it became even more famous with the support of Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft (MS).
In June of this year, the research team planned to load an aerosol onto an apparatus at the Isrange Space Center in the north of Sweden operated by the Swedish Space Agency. However, on the 1st, the Swedish Space Agency announced that it had canceled the flight test against Swedish environmental groups and local residents. The Harvard University Scopex Advisory Committee also acknowledged this fact in a separate statement and announced that it “recommended to suspend flight testing until Sweden makes final recommendations for the flight test.”
David Keith, a research team at the Scopex project and a professor at the School of Mechanical and Applied Engineering and Kennedy School of Public Policy at Harvard University, famous for geotechnical research, told Reuters on the 2nd (local time), Until next year, we will suspend flight tests and wait for Sweden’s decision.”
Ecologists are also concerned about geoengineering technology. Researchers at New York University in the U.S. pointed out on the 5th day of PNAS that they failed to consider the impact of geotechnical technologies such as the sunscreen test based on current climate models on the Earth’s ecosystem.
“In the case of sun protection technology using aerosols, if the cooling effect by the aerosol does not appear uniformly, it can adversely affect ecosystems and biodiversity.” It can cause a problem,” he feared.
The researchers also said, “The geotechnical technology that artificially adjusts sunlight is not a special drug to solve climate change. We hope this study will be the starting point for cooperation and discussion between climatologists and ecologists.”
The cover of the report released by the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) on the 25th of last month (local time) summarizes the need for geoengineering research (left). The right is an illustration showing the three geoengineering techniques presented in the report: aerosol injection in the 16-25 km stratosphere, a cloud formation test at an altitude of 6 to 13 km, and a cloud formation test over the sea. Provided by NASEM
Despite these concerns, the need for research on geoengineering technology continues to be raised. The National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) of the United States released a report on the 25th of last month (local time) that the Biden administration should invest $200 million (approximately 220 billion won) on geoengineering research over the next five years. .
The report argues that the Biden administration should focus on exploring the value of geotechnical use of the sun to respond to the threat of climate change. In addition, as geotechnical technology should be used as policy data to cope with future climate change, it was recommended that research on not only the technology itself, but also its impact and social consensus should be conducted at the same time.
