Is this geoengineering startup simply looking for a rainmaker?
Geoengineering, or climate engineering typically involves organizing huge projects such as Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) or Solar Radiation Management (SRM), often on a planet-wide scale.
The idea is to carry out important modifications to our planet, which may include the use of aerosols to mitigate the amount of solar radiation that reaches its surface, resulting in all kinds of consequences, known and unknown. All kinds of proposals have been made in this area, from the US government’s approval of research funds, to small-scale experiments in Sweden, and even all kinds of analyses based on game theory.
Recently, we’ve heard growing calls bordering on desperation for its immediate use to tackle the climate emergency, along with misguided accusations that it would excuse the continued use of fossil fuels. Critics argue that geoengineering runs the risk of further imbalancing the climate.
Now, for the first time, a private company, Make Sunsets — a US startup founded in October — has carried out its own geoengineering project using balloons launched from Mexico to create sulfur clouds at very high altitudes that will remain in place for six months to three years, reflecting solar radiation. The announcement may simply be a way of attracting attention, given that its business model offers…
