Thats hard to say right now, but all of the scientists and backers involved are only suggesting doing researchnot taking large-scale action. The SCoPEx team is aiming to collect data to enhance computer models and has said it plans to release a nontoxic chemical, but not to scatter sunlight back into space. In a 2010 Ted Talk, Gates argued that if society ends up in a position where global warming is bad enough that geoengineering needs to be taken seriously, it should already know and understand the process and its potential consequences. Snopes said SCoPEx is also financed by the Fund for Innovative Climate and Energy Research (FICER), a fund for research grants co-created by Gates in 2007. Early research suggests that the substance has near-ideal optical properties that would allow it to absorb far less radiation that sulfate aerosols, causing significantly less stratospheric heating. ", BILL GATES IS PLANNING TO BLOCK OUT THE SUN. Now, that's just an insurance policy; you hope you don't need to do that. Bill Gates is a popular target of conspiracy theories characterizing his charitable giving as evidence of a nefarious world domination scheme. "We are not, for example, testing whether it's possible to scatter sunlight back to space, because there is no meaningful scientific uncertainty about that question.". Sie knnen Ihre Einstellungen jederzeit ndern, indem Sie auf unseren Websites und Apps auf den Link Datenschutz-Dashboard klicken. Fact check: Bill Gates is not trying to 'block the sun's rays' in the name of climate change. It also has made him a. The most the experiment would seek to do is release two kilograms (4.4 pounds) of non-toxic dust from a weather balloon 12 miles high in the sky. Widespread research into the efficacy of solar geoengineering has been stalled for years due to controversy. BILL GATES TOO. Widespread use of technology that dims natural sunlight to help fight climate change should only be used as a last resort, scientists have warned. The Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment (SCoPEx) aimed to see how a tiny amount of aerosol in a trial would influence the immediate surroundings. Solar geoengineering with aerosols runs head into the fact that aerosols, like ozone layer-destroying chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) spray aerosols, have often been a contributor to climate change. In a future test, the team is planning to use a high-altitude balloon to lift a package holding calcium carbonate approximately 20 km into the atmosphere. Outdoor experiments can provide in situ perspective that is impossible to obtain in the laboratory and SCoPEx can help us validate important model parameters that have yet to been tested against measurements. Solar geoengineering is a subfield of geoengineering, which refers to efforts to alter the environment to limit the effects of climate change. 1.5K. Since 2007, Bill Gates has funded research initiatives that, in part, provide grants for experiments related to solar radiation management a form of geoengineering controversially proposed. Is Russias Only Aircraft Carrier Cursed? If given the go-ahead, the experiment could take place in June, 2021, from the Esrange Space Center in Kiruna, Sweden. Cocaine Bear Isnt the Only Animal Getting High. Proponents of solar geoengineering, also known as solar radiation modification, say deployment of the technology could be a shortcut to slow a rise in global temperatures that is stoking more. stated on March 3, 2023 in a Conservative Political Action Conference speech: stated on February 19, 2023 in a Facebook post: stated on February 24, 2023 in an Instagram post: stated on March 2, 2023 in a speech at CPAC: stated on February 25, 2023 in a Facebook post: stated on February 22, 2023 in a Facebook post: stated on February 26, 2023 in an Instagram post: stated on February 27, 2023 in a Facebook post: All Rights Reserved Poynter Institute 2020, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Gates did not personally hatch a plan, nor is he or anyone scheming to block out the sun. For example, no credible scientist is arguing that SCoPEx, by releasing 4.4 pounds of chalky power 12 miles above the arctic, will, as the Daily Mail put it, "trigger a disastrous series of chain reactions, creating climate havoc in the form of serious droughts and hurricanes, and bring death to millions of people around the world." Bill Gates' Savior Complex Spirals Out of Control, Funds Sun-Dimming Plan To Save the Human Race, says concerns like these are not supported by science, Fact check: Bill Gates is not planning to microchip the world through a COVID-19 vaccine, Planned Harvard balloon test in Sweden stirs solar geoengineering unease, Bill Gates' Savior Complex Spirals Out of Control, Funds Sun-Dimming Plan To Save the Human Race, Could dimming the sun save the Earth? In other words, it's a very small-scale project, far from the climate-altering claims about it that have surfaced on social media. . This week, the influential National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) also released a new report urging the U.S. government to spend at least $100 million to study solar geoengineering, a controversial technology. So how does that work???". Digital IDs were given to residents in East Palestine, Ohio, to track long term health problems like difficulty breathing before the Feb. 3 train derailment. Jan. 5, 2021, USA Today, "Fact check: Bill Gates is not trying to 'block the sun's rays' in the name of climate change," April 23, 2021, Wilson Center, "Solar Radiation Management," Sept. 20, 2020. As Keutsch has pointed out, this is not a fringe view, it is one held by several scientific bodies. But late last month, a Harvard advisory committee that was set up to study the projects ethical implications recommended pushing back the test until a more thorough societal engagement process can be conducted to address issues related to solar geoengineering research in Sweden, Harvard wrote. ", Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. Solar geoengineering, also known as radiation management, is based on the idea of using technologies to fight climate change by reflecting sunlight back into space. Bill Gates' wealth has allowed him to donate and invest in projects across the globe. ", Explaining the balancing act, he continued: "People are right to fear over-reliance on technofixes. Primary source evidence proves the claim to be false. The researchers behind the forthcoming Harvard project, the Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment (SCoPEx), say we must study solar geoengineering in case we need to take a drastic action against climate change. The post also claims: "Geo engineering is actually a thing and Bill Gates has been backed to try and 'block out the sun'." According to the Met Office, geoengineering is the "deliberate large-scale manipulation of climate". Bill Gates Will Have to Wait a While to Block the Sun - Yahoo! News Bill Gates Will Not Be Blotting Out the Sun This Week - The Daily Dot David Keith, a Harvard University professor also spearheading the SCoPEx project, said solar geoengineering will likely complement other carbon reduction methods, but noted it will be future generations that will ultimately have to live with the potential consequences. The UN document correctly indicates that volcanic eruptions sometimes fill the skies with ash or sulfur, dim the sun for years, and lead to measurable global cooling episodes. The example listed in the report is the above-mentioned Mt. The experiment involves launching a high-altitude balloon about 12 miles into the atmosphere, according to its website. On the other hand we are expected to go to solar powered energy. Bill Gates' "Block The Sun" Scopex Balloon Launch Experiment In Sweden This is the purpose of the experiment: once a safe, experimental amount of CaCO3 is released, the balloon will fly through it, sampling atmospheric reactions and recording resulting dynamics. This group signs off on major research decisions and audits SCoPEx's finances. Impacts will vary across regions, and there are uncertainties about the effects on weather patterns, agriculture, and the provision of basic needs of food and water.. 727-821-9494. stated on February 21, 2022 in an article: "Bill Gates hatches 'horribly stupid' plan to block out the sun", stated on February 20, 2023 in an Instagram post. The claim that Gates is working on a way to block the sun's rays to prevent global warming isFALSE, based on our research. Scientists have devised multiple ways to block sunlight from reaching Earths atmosphere or surface. In 2015, the National Academies of Sciences, for example, released a two-part report on climate interventions like solar radiation management. Bill Gates ' involvement with a geo-engineering experiment aimed at slowing climate breakdown has prompted viral conspiracy-laden claims centred around the idea that he "wants to block out the sun". Your membership is the foundation of our sustainability and resilience. Bill Gates Will Have to Wait to Block the Sun, Bill Gates Is Thinking About Dimming the Sun, USAF's Reactor Creates Jet Fuel Out of Water, Air, Bill Gates-backed sun-blocking experiment, solar geoengineering experiment backed by Bill Gates, Harvard Universitys Solar Geoengineering Research Program, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. Update 01/22/2022 GMT1240: This post has been updated to clarify the Carnegie Climate Governance Initiatives stance on solar geoengineering technologies, as noted by C2G executive director Janos Pasztor. Unproven technology to block sun's rays raises practical, ethical Billionaire philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is no stranger to conspiracy theories and speculation about the projects he funds. Next, they say, the technologies could be used by governments or corporations to prevent work on other, less risky methods to combat climate change, such as reducing the use of fossil fuels. Neither is it desirable, ethical, or politically governable.. The test was originally scheduled for June 2021, but will be delayed until at least 2022. Mexico Bans Tests to Block the Sun: What Is Solar Geoengineering? The conservative news website The Western Journal reported in December last year that Gates' plan for the project included "blotting out the sun to make the world cooler," citing a Reuters report about the scientists applying for a test flight experiment in June 2021. Microsoft's MSFT -2.2% billionaire founder Bill Gates is financially backing the development of sun-dimming technology that would potentially reflect sunlight out of Earth's atmosphere,. These are ideal for residential or commercial rooftops, but they're compatible with a ground-mount as well. These claims have. Gear-obsessed editors choose every product we review. Prominent campaigner Greta Thunberg came out in support of the indigenous peoples and against solar geoengineering. SATANSpiderman886note This process involves seeding the stratosphere with aerosols to reflect sunlight away. Her favorite topics include nuclear energy, cosmology, math of everyday things, and the philosophy of it all. 60 Scientists Want to Block the Sun: Solar Geoengineering Facts