EU experts call for ban on risky solar geoengineering
The idea of cooling the Earth by reflecting sunlight back into space is controversial. Scientific advisors to the European Commission highlight the risks associated with this approach and advocate for banning such technologies within the European Union.
Solar geoengineering is similar to trying to lower the temperature in an overheated oven by reducing heat inflow. The goal would be to reflect a portion of the sunlight, perhaps by brightening clouds, releasing reflective particles into the atmosphere, or deploying mirrors in orbit.
Other proposed solutions include scattering lunar dust or sending millions of tons of diamonds into space to reflect sunlight. Reports from the portal spidersweb.pl suggest that climate modeling indicates such technologies could theoretically help limit the increase in global temperatures and reduce the impacts of climate change, such as rising sea levels and extreme weather events.
Is solar geoengineering too risky?
However, scientists caution that the side effects of such interventions are difficult to predict and could have global consequences. For example, atmospheric interference could alter rainfall, disrupt ecosystems, or affect food production. Moreover, these methods would not address the root cause of the problem: greenhouse gas emissions.
Experts from the European Commission stress that presenting solar geoengineering as an alternative could undermine current efforts to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change. They note that any planetary intervention would require international regulatory frameworks that consider the interests of all parties and include compensation mechanisms for those potentially affected. According to the portal spidersweb.pl, such frameworks do not currently exist, and their establishment would be complicated.
A document prepared by the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors and the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies states that while some geoengineering technologies may appear to be attractive solutions, their long-term consequences are too risky to overlook. Thus, they recommend a moratorium on any attempts to artificially cool the Earth.
