TORONTO --
It sounds not only like an idea straight out of science fiction, but a bad idea straight out of science fiction: shooting particles into the atmosphere to dim the sun as a measure to fight climate change.
However, the idea is one of a few contemplated in a new report by the U.S National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine that calls for US$100-US$200 million in funding to examine the feasibility and wisdom of trying to stop some of the sun’s rays from hitting the Earth’s surface.
“One way to respond to climate change might be to try and reflect some amount of incoming solar energy back into space, and the way to do that is … to make some aspect of the planet shinier,” Simon Nicholson, Director of the Global Environmental Politics program at American University, told CTV’s Your Morning on Friday.