Out of a superhero movie: Companies are coming up with plans to block out the sun

https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/dim-sun-climate-change-b2877722.html

by theindependentonline

23 comments

  1. Geoengineering the sun? Looks like dodging real climate solutions now comes with a plot twist. When did action turn into comic book science?

  2. Surely this will have no unintended consequences on every photosynthetic organism on the planet.

  3. Sounds more like a super villain movie, in which major corporations alter the atmospherical chemistry, and instead of stopping, they come up with ways, to fuck shit up even more, all while pretending to save the world from the problems they caused themselves. 

    Here is my alternative solution, and I know I am in good company: Face out of fossil energies, regulate land use, apply ecosystem-based solutions for adaptation. 

  4. This is reminiscent of the end of Dinosaurs, or the start of Snowpiercer

  5. “You haven’t paid your sun subscription! No sunlight for you !”

  6. This is one of those snowballs that need crushing before it turns into an avalanche.

  7. A few concerns…

    How many times have humans later learned of negative impacts or consequences of some convenient technological fix to an organic problem, rather than healing the organic problem?

    How about a bandaid as a solution to skin cancer?

    Deflecting the impacts of humanity’s issues here on earth onto space with some unknown unintended consequences for the universe, seems both ethically problematic, as well as some major potential for backfire here.

    Seems like humanity and science understands the issues and what we need to do to heal and save the planet and life here. We just aren’t doing it.

  9. I curiously asked chatgpt about this a few weeks ago and 2 things I memorised.

    1. No, Photosynthesis would not be disturbed at all. Earth gets way more sunlight then it is required for that process.

    2. It is way beyond out engineering capability to do this, but even if it was, it would upon up a terrible possibility. If this sun shield was disturbed then earth would heat up again in record rate (since the excess CO2 is still in the atmosphere). So average global temperature would jump 1.5C in a matter of days. Causing an ecological collapse many time worse then what we are experiencing.

  10. Sort of serious question: would it be possible to band together and sue them?

    This feels like they are acting against humanity’s best interests, there’s no agreement from the rest of us, they’re just pushing ahead, and it’s yet another excuse for them to turn around and continue to use fossil fuels and release excessive amounts of carbon. This is only going to make things far worse for us and future generations.

    Like, it feels like these guys watched the Matrix, heard the part about how they blocked out the sun, and not the rest of the fucking films.

  11. Worst idea yet. How about we don’t fuck with the earth anymore.

  12. If only there was something we could put in the ground that blocks out the sun… and often does so only during the hottest parts of the year while letting sun in during the coldest times of the year helping to moderate temperatures. Hmmm I wonder what these things could be s/

  14. Anything to avoid actually tackling root causes.

    Also massive risk of being used to influence places negeatively.

  15. This is likely the only way our species survives at this point.

    If we don’t stop global warming NOW the vicious cycles of melting ice caps capturing more heat, thawing permafrost releasing massive amounts of methane and dying forests and marine flora releasing carbon will cook us all.

    Time for debate is over.

    The time for drastic measures is upon us.

    I sincerely hope that an individual actor like China just fucking does it on their own. No one else would have the balls and resources to do something so bold.

  16. Won’t do anything for ocean acidification due to CO2 emissions anyway. Could potentially screw up large portions of the food chain.

  17. Wouldn’t it be easier to embrace the reality of climate change and adapt our lives accordingly?

  20. “We cant stop pumping out CO2 or deforesting the planet, not to mention think of how much money we can suck from governments to block out the sun and deal with negative fallout”

    I’m convinced everyone who shat on Dont Look Up was paid by oil executives, this plan is exactly the kind of self interested hubris it was making fun of

  21. In every thread I see about this I have to say that it could be one of the only feasible and realistic ways to stop total disaster for a couple of decades or centuries

    Yes, it could be obviously terrible. But how likely are humans to want to cut production, profit, standards of living, and technology? If doing the right thing is impossibly unrealistic, maybe doing the thing that works becomes the best thing to do?

  23. This sounds like gambling. How much risk is worth a spin ?

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