Researchers devised a plan to cool the north and south poles. The goal would be to spray microscopic particles of aerosols into the atmosphere to reflect sunlight and cold glaciers.
According to study leader Wake Smith, from Yale University in the United States, a fleet of 125 military aerial refueling aircraft will release a cloud of microscopic sulfur dioxide particles at an altitude of 13 kilometers and a latitude of 60 degrees on both sides. Tie the Shetland Islands in the north and Falkland Islands in the south. The particles will slowly float toward the pole in high-altitude winds, creating a shadow on the Earth’s surface.
According to the study, published in the scientific journal “Environmental Research Communications,” just over 13 million tons of particulate matter in the spring and summer would be enough to cool the polar regions by 2 degrees Celsius, with a milder cooling at mid-latitudes.
With less than 1% of the world’s population living in the respective regions, deployment would entail direct risks to most of humanity far less than any global programme. “However, any intentional change to the global temperature regime would be in the common interest of all of humanity and not just the boycott of the Arctic states and Patagonia,” Smith said. “If the risk-benefit equation was worth it anywhere, it would be at the poles.”
The researcher argues that the plan will address an important symptom of climate change, not the cause. “It’s aspirin, not penicillin. It’s not a replacement for decarbonization,” he added.
The plan sparked controversy
Smith’s idea points to the need to make about 175,000 flights annually, releasing millions of tons of carbon dioxide and causing controversy in the scientific community, which considers the greenhouse gases emitted into the upper atmosphere to be more harmful.
On the other hand, David King, a former chief scientist for the British government and founder of the Center for Climate Reform (CCR) at the University of Cambridge, said drastic action is needed to save the polar ice. “The idea is to buy time while we cut greenhouse gas emissions deeply and quickly. This is essential,” he was quoted by British newspaper, Sky News, as saying.
Sean Fitzgerald, director of the CCR, also argues that the large number of flights can be justified if he deals with the immediate problem of rising sea levels. “Using airplanes is not a good thing, but the impact of these greenhouse gases has a long-term impact. We are concerned about the effects [das mudanças climáticas] Immediately. “It’s really urgent,” he said.
Polar warming is several times faster than the global average, with Record heat waves recorded in the Arctic and Antarctica earlier this year. If the vast ice sheets in Greenland and West Antarctica reach a tipping point – now seen as likely in current global warming projections – sea levels could rise by several metres.
