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Mexico cracks down on solar geoengineering

cnbc.com

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Re: Mexico cracks down on solar geoengineering

#11

Post by remexre »

junofan wrote: post #3

> The opposition to these climatic manipulations is based on the fact that there are currently no international agreements that address or supervise solar geoengineering activities, which represent an economically advantageous way out for a minority and risky for the supposed remediation of climate change. > We agree that there are no alternative technologies that replace the need to reduce emissions to remediate cli…

I think the logic is similar to why doctors aren't allowed to "just try stuff" on cancer patients without proper oversight, except on a global scale -- if it turns out a geoengineering project has a much worse second-order effect that wasn't considered, people who didn't get a say in its deployment would be impacted.

Re: Mexico cracks down on solar geoengineering

#12

Post by jxf »

perihelions wrote: post #10
jxf wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> These folks were planning to release 500g of sulfur dioxide — that’s completely insignificant, right? Just a POC? Yes, that is a practically undetectable addition of SO2. For reference, the US emitted approximately 2M tons of SO2 in 2019; that's about 1.8 billion kg. The 500g here is approximately one part in one billion. If the startup added 500g of SO2 every single day for the next 10,000 years, they would add 1%…

Keep in mind that ordinary SO₂ pollution doesn't make its way into the stratosphere. It's a different problem.

You're 100% right; I'm just drawing a comparison for the sake of scale.

Re: Mexico cracks down on solar geoengineering

#14

Post by ido »

jxf wrote: post #8
sonofhans wrote: post #5

> The tiny startup Make Sunsets, which had been experimenting with releasing sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere to reflect sunlight in order to cool the earth. This is the mechanism in Neal Stephenson’s _Termination Shock_. The book’s plot depends on a future US government which is non-functional, thus no one can shut them down. These folks were planning to release 500g of sulfur dioxide — that’s completely insignifi…

> These folks were planning to release 500g of sulfur dioxide — that’s completely insignificant, right? Just a POC? Yes, that is a practically undetectable addition of SO2. For reference, the US emitted approximately 2M tons of SO2 in 2019; that's about 1.8 billion kg. The 500g here is approximately one part in one billion. If the startup added 500g of SO2 every single day for the next 10,000 years, they would add 1%…

OT but your post made me learn that in English "Tonne" and "Ton" denote two different units!

Re: Mexico cracks down on solar geoengineering

#16

Post by hef19898 »

stonogo wrote: post #13
wereHamster wrote: post #4

> Make Sunsets was planning to launch three latex weather balloons that would release anywhere between 10 and 500 grams of sulfur dioxide […] Is that enough for any observable effect?

No, but it's enough to validate the delivery mechanism.

A baloon you mean? What is there to validate?

Re: Mexico cracks down on solar geoengineering

#17

Post by antupis »

wereHamster wrote: post #4

> Make Sunsets was planning to launch three latex weather balloons that would release anywhere between 10 and 500 grams of sulfur dioxide […] Is that enough for any observable effect?

China releases something like 25 megatons that stuff in the air yearly so we would be at deeps shit if 500 grams would have some effect.

Re: Mexico cracks down on solar geoengineering

#18

Post by perihelions »

junofan wrote: post #3

> The opposition to these climatic manipulations is based on the fact that there are currently no international agreements that address or supervise solar geoengineering activities, which represent an economically advantageous way out for a minority and risky for the supposed remediation of climate change. > We agree that there are no alternative technologies that replace the need to reduce emissions to remediate cli…

It's a symptom of the Great Stagnation. There's a clear crisis with multiple plausible solutions, yet somehow all of humanity has made ~zero progress (on the geoengineering front) for decades. Never mind that the world's wealthier and more democratic than ever; or that information has never been more accessible to anyone who looks for it; or that technology and engineering are at their highest point in the history of civilization. We're paradoxically become less effectual than the era of the Manhattan Projects and Marshall Plans. We don't solve problems.

- "The statement said, "The opposition to these climatic manipulations is based on the fact that there are currently no international agreements that address or supervise solar geoengineering activities..."

And international diplomacy and world treaty bureaucracies, in turn, are paralyzed with indecision (or indifference). Insist on getting sign-offs from higher authorities, who you know in turn will do nothing. This is stuff straight out of the CIA's Simple Sabotage Field Manual (1944).

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29597454

Re: Mexico cracks down on solar geoengineering

#19

Post by callmetom »

stonogo wrote: post #13
wereHamster wrote: post #4

> Make Sunsets was planning to launch three latex weather balloons that would release anywhere between 10 and 500 grams of sulfur dioxide […] Is that enough for any observable effect?

No, but it's enough to validate the delivery mechanism.

Validate that the contents of a balloon are released at the altitude the balloon ruptures? That seems like a very weak cover for action, especially since they admit in earlier statements that they are trying to grab attention... and also sell "cooling credits". Mission accomplished - they got that attention they wanted.
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