US EPA confirms geoengineering trials of the ambiance

https://www.epa.gov/geoengineering/about-geoengineering

Geoengineering encompasses a broad vary of actions, together with people who deliberately try to chill the Earth or take away sure gases from the ambiance. Gases that lure warmth within the ambiance are sometimes called greenhouse gases, which embody carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases. For instance, geoengineering contains the removing of carbon dioxide from the ambiance (additionally referred to as Carbon Dioxide Elimination – CDR) by way of strategies resembling direct air seize and storage, ocean iron fertilization, or ocean alkalinity enhancement.

Close-up view of an aircraft equipped with stratospheric aerosol injection apparatus, featuring multiple tubes attached to the wing for geoengineering purposes. — Cloud seeding efforts in Alberta, the place the
expertise is getting used to cut back the severity
of hail. (CBC)

A subset of geoengineering actions intends to chill the Earth by deliberately modifying the quantity of daylight reaching Earth’s floor. These actions are known as Photo voltaic Geoengineering or Photo voltaic Radiation Modification (SRM). Most proposed photo voltaic radiation modification methods contain including materials to the ambiance to extend the quantity of incoming daylight mirrored again to house. Whereas a few of these approaches are presently being studied, not sufficient data exists to totally perceive the viability, dangers, and advantages of every method.

Kinds of photo voltaic geoengineering methods embody:

Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI) – including small reflective particles to the higher ambiance (stratosphere) to replicate incoming daylight. Sulfur dioxide (SO₂), one of many sorts of chemical compounds thought of for SAI, can chemically react within the stratosphere to kind reflective sulfate aerosols.

Different methods, resembling Cirrus Cloud Thinning (CCT) or space-based strategies have been far much less researched attributable to uncertainty within the processes, excessive potential prices, and extra restricted feasibility.

Potential Impacts

The aim of photo voltaic geoengineering is to chill the Earth by reflecting extra daylight again to house. Relying on the method used, there may very well be extra unintended well being and environmental penalties that require cautious analysis. Present understanding of dangers and advantages is restricted by uncertainties within the observations and modeling instruments used to look at photo voltaic geoengineering impacts. There isn’t sufficient data out there to totally perceive the unintended penalties of photo voltaic geoengineering.

Potential well being and environmental impacts of photo voltaic geoengineering embody:

Ecosystem well being and crop yields – including sulfur to the ambiance will increase the chance of acid rain, deposition of sulfur to the floor, and worsened soil acidity, which may influence meals manufacturing. Decreased daylight (i.e., vitality) reaching the floor may additionally influence ecosystem and agricultural productiveness.

Rain and snowfall patterns – including particles to the stratosphere can alter hydrological cycles, resulting in modifications within the quantity of rainfall and drought in particular areas.

Respiratory well being – some particles within the stratosphere ultimately come right down to Earth’s floor the place they will contribute to opposed well being impacts, together with making it tough to breathe.

Final up to date on July 11, 2025

Observe: The Trump administration has largely begun dismantling the Environmental Safety Company primarily because of the Internet Zero and world warming hoaxes