Startups Aim to Dim the Sun

Private startups are starting to embrace the concept of solar geoengineering—essentially, finding a way to cool the planet through artificial means—and two pieces exploring the trend raise concerns about what may result. The Washington Post focuses on the firms Make Sunsets—which invites people to invest $1 in its strategy of releasing balloons filled with carbon dioxide into the stratosphere—and the larger Stardust, which has raised more than $75 million from investors so far and hopes to be ready in a few years with its own plan. The story, and another at Just Security, looks at the risks of having private firms take the lead over governments in a field that currently has few regulations.

Supporters argue that private companies can move faster than governments or universities, which have often backed away from field tests due to public pushback. "They stop. They give up," venture capitalist and Stardust investor Maex Ament tells the Post. But critics worry about private companies changing weather patterns and triggering a slew of unintended and possibly catastrophic consequences. "I do not trust the private sector to make good decisions for people," is the view of Shuchi Talati, founder of the nonprofit Alliance for Just Deliberation on Solar Geoengineering. "The whole move-fast-and-break-things ethos—I've seen it, and it hasn't gone particularly well for society."

The concept of Solar Radiation Modification "has long been viewed as a fanciful rather than realistic solution to climate change," notes the piece at Just Security. (Think giant space mirrors and the like.) But it's gaining credibility amid increasingly dire reports about the climate, coupled with governmental "body blows" to pacts such as the Paris Agreement that call for reduced emissions. After assessing the issue, the Just Security piece concludes:

• "Now is the time to effectively regulate this new industry—one that just might have a decisive impact on the world's ability to combat climate change. Without regulation, the dangers of SRM become magnified and the security risks more unchecked."