Scientists aim to dim sunlight to fight climate change: Report

Scientists are launching experiments to dim sunlight in order to fight climate change

The Telegraph reports researchers will perform outdoor tests within weeks, including brightening clouds to reflect sunlight using aerosols

The research aims to find new ways to prevent the warming of the planet due to climate change

The studies follow decades of scientists observing unusually bright clouds above shipping routes

Researchers discovered the pollution from the sulfur-burning vessels caused the clouds above them to become more reflective of sunlight

dimming and cooling the area around them. The experts are building on these findings

The UK's Advanced Research and Innovation Agency is dedicating tens of millions of dollars to these experiments

The program director says the agency will be making announcements on who will get the funding and when outdoor tests will take place in the next few weeks

He says one of the crucial pieces missing from current data is real-world physical experimentation

arguing computer-generated information can only provide limited insights. Researchers promise the experiments will be safe and face stipulations including a ban on releasing toxic chemicals into the air Critics however warn artificial control of the environment may actually make climate change worse and distract from the

true goal of lowering greenhouse gas emissions. While scientists involved in the research contend

the experiments are vital because emissions aren't dropping fast enough, the World Meteorological

Organization reports global greenhouse gas emissions reached a record high last year

and show no sign they've hit their peak. Researchers are focusing on tests involving sunlight reflection models

involving the release of tiny particles into the air to reflect sunlight and marine cloud brightening

where ships spray sea salt particles into the atmosphere, increasing the cloud's brightness to reflect more sunlight

Other methods include seeding some high-altitude clouds to cool the Earth by allowing heat to escape into space

Scientists say these clouds currently trap heat. Researchers say if the experiments are successful, we may see these methods employed within the next decade

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For Straight Arrow News, I'm Jack Elmer