Scientists have canceled an experiment to artificially cool the Earth with atmospheric aerosol

An article appeared in Science magazine in which scientists from Harvard University publicly refused to conduct the first scientifically based experiment to artificially cool the Earth. The carefully worked out plan of the experiment crashed due to the protests of the leaders of the indigenous peoples of Sweden – the Sami. They were not informed, and when the information surfaced, it caused a strong reaction of protest against this and other geoengineering experiments.

Image source: AI generation Kandinsky 3.0/3DNews

The SCoPEx (Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment) experiment was conceived at Harvard back in 2017. It is known that particles of sulfur dioxide emitted by volcanoes in the upper layers of the atmosphere reflect part of the sunlight back into space and, thereby, prevent the Earth from heating up – in fact, they cool it. Such particles or aerosols could be man-made, which could reverse global warming. The SCoPEx experiment was supposed to provide a scientific basis for such geoengineering projects – to help collect data to refine climate models of environmental impact.

As planned, a balloon was to rise into the air over Sweden, from which light-reflecting aerosols would be released. The equipment on the ball was supposed to study the interaction of particles with each other and the surrounding air – nothing supernatural or irreversible. Moreover, the first launch in 2021 was planned purely technical – without aerosol spraying. But the very news of the planned experiment angered local national leaders. It was this point that scientists did not take into account over many years of planning the experiment.

A recent article in the journal Science pays attention to precisely this circumstance – the need for dialogue with people when discussing geoengineering projects. The Harvard team was unable to cope with “press interest in the experience and did not know how to negotiate the issue with representatives of indigenous peoples,” so in March 2024 it announced the curtailment of the SCoPEx program.

It should be said that formally small-scale geoengineering experiments are not prohibited by anyone. Moreover, back in 2010, when the relevant UN committee imposed a moratorium on geoengineering projects, they were talking exclusively about global projects. Small companies and scientific teams are free to conduct experiments in the field of geoengineering if they are extremely local in nature. For example, one of the startups allowed itself to fly balloons into the sky to spray sulfur dioxide, and scientists from the University of Washington carried out a full-scale experiment to lighten sea clouds, and they didn’t get anything for it.

But if we are talking about global projects, then even the sun scorching on the neck should not push one to take initiative. Geoengineering projects must necessarily be discussed in the public space, since the consequences can affect everyone, not to mention future generations. And we need to start with the formalization of interstate agreements and dialogue between the authorities of different countries. This is the only way to create conditions for potential influence on the Earth’s climate.