Can reflecting the Sun buy time for net zero? A startup has raised $US75m to try
Key takeaways
- Sending reflective particles into the sky is one way to potentially halt global warming.
- Currently, there is no international regulatory framework for SRM and many scientists have called for it to be banned altogether.
- Andy Parker, who leads an NGO supporting SRM research in the developing world, said Australia's neighbours faced disproportionate climate risks whether the technology was used or not.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Sending reflective particles into the sky is one way to potentially halt global warming. Many scientists insist the technology must not be tested in the atmosphere. (ABC News Graphic: Cordelia Brown)
Link copied Share Share article Private firms are making plans to cool the planet by releasing reflective particles high into the atmosphere, an idea known as solar geoengineering or solar radiation modification (SRM).
With a war chest of private capital estimated at more than the entire globe's SRM research budget, the US-Israeli startup Stardust Solutions has unveiled a proprietary engineered particle it hopes to start testing outdoors, and is calling for governments to regulate the technology before it does.