Climate protection unleashes the imagination of scientific researchers, as proven by this study, led by Sandro Vattini, climate researcher at ETH Zurich, and published by the journal Geophysical Research Letters, which proposes launching diamond dust to the upper layers of the atmosphere against global warming. In collaboration with US scientists, the Swiss team has discovered that diamond dust floating in the atmosphere would reflect sunlight especially well back into space and thereforeit would cool the Earth.
It would not be cheap, of course: the cost would amount to about 175 billion dollars to reduce the average global temperature by 1.6 degrees Celsius by the end of this century. Critics remember that with only 1 billion euros it is possible to install 10,000 square kilometers of solar panels.
Geoengineering wants to provide solutions to climate protection from its field and from this perspective it has studied ideas such as fertilizing the oceans so that they can absorb more CO2, building a gigantic dam to save glaciers or blocking sunlight using umbrellas or dust clouds. in space, often measures that would themselves consume enormous amounts of energy and budget, as well as pose the risk of unpredictable side effects.
Experts consider the use of aerosolsin particular sulfur dioxide. It is the concept known in scientific jargon as positive air pollution. Aerosols are tiny particles that can float high in the atmosphere for long periods of time, reflecting sunlight back into space and thus cooling the Earth. This study investigated which aerosols could have an even better effect than sulfur dioxide and the winner was diamond dust.
Influence the climate
The idea of introducing aerosols into the atmosphere is inspired by natural processes such as volcanic eruptionswhich spew huge masses of gas and dust into the air that spread across the planet and can influence the climate for years. The eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines in 1991, for example, cooled the global climate by about half a degree Celsius for several years. Sulfur dioxide has been shown to slow global warming and would be comparatively cheap to produce, but it can cause acid rain when converted to sulfuric acid in the atmosphere, so researchers have sought a more effective and less dangerous alternative.
This is how they have come to test the effectiveness of small particles of pure carbon, diamond dust, which reflects sunlight more strongly, remains in the air for a long time and does not form clumps. It also does its job without greater heat storage, which counteracts the desired effect of aerosols. And unlike sulfur dioxide, diamond dust does not form dangerous chemicalsdefend the Swiss researchers.
To make the relevant checks, the research group has examined the effects of seven different types of aerosols on a supercomputerin which a simulation of the Earth’s atmosphere was installed. The chemical reactions from its launch to its slow descent to the ground have been noted. The simulation has revealed what would undoubtedly be a serious problem that makes the practical application of diamond dust practically: for it to have a notable effect, it would be necessary to artificially produce millions of tons each year and distribute them into the atmosphere by airplanes.
This makes the possibility unaffordably expensive, in addition to controversial aspects that other experts point out. “Sometimes when you try to find a solution to a problem, you run the risk of causing damage elsewhere,” warns Anne Larigauderie, secretary general of the World Council for Biological Diversity (IPBES), which warns against the diversion of funds. from other areas of research and fears that results like those of this new study could generate a false sense of security.
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