Startup Raises $60 Million to Artificially Cool the Planet

"A geoengineering startup Stardust Solutions has raised $60 million to lay the groundwork for tech that could be used to dim the Sun, Heatmap News reports. The concept behind geoengineering is as simple as it is controversial among scientists. By spraying aerosol particles into the Earth's atmosphere from a plane or weather balloon, a growing cohort of researchers is hoping to turn down the temperature in an effort to combat global warming."

"According to Politico, it's the "largest-ever fundraising round" for any company in the sector. Investors include Silicon Valley luminaries and an Italian industrial dynasty, per the outlet. The funding round is particularly notable considering Stardust Solutions is an entirely private entity. Other similar but unaffiliated efforts have usually been led by educational institutions and nonprofits, as Heatmap points out."

""There will still be extreme weather events," he told Heatmap. "We're not preventing them altogether.""

"By sending tiny airborne chemicals such as sulfate aerosols into the atmosphere, many scientists have hoped to harness the effects of major volcanic eruptions, which have been shown to measurably cool the entire world's surface for years at a time. However, Yedvab told Heatmap that sulfates are a "poor option," given the already major contamination in the atmosphere, which could make monitoring geoengineering projects difficult. They may also damage the ozone layer. Instead, Yedvab and his colleagues are developing a "scalable or realistic particle that we know from the start how to produce at scale in the millions of tons" and at a relatively low cost."

A private company secured $60 million to develop geoengineering technology intended to dim sunlight and cool the planet. The approach centers on dispersing aerosol particles into the atmosphere from aircraft or balloons to lower global temperatures. The fundraising is described as the largest for the sector and involves prominent private investors. Company leadership acknowledges that solar radiation management would not eliminate extreme weather and carries risks. Conventional sulfate aerosols pose monitoring and ozone risks, so the company is pursuing an alternative, scalable particle designed for mass production, low cost, and improved safety.

Read at Futurism