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If you think there is a chance we're going to start deploying stratospheric aerosol injection, might as well get good at it, if you want to help scale up deployments: https://makesunsets.com/products/join-the-next-balloon-launc...

It's not banned, where are you getting this information? We've deployed 124 times for our customers mostly in Northern California. If you want to learn more: https://makesunsets.com/pages/new-faq



Thanks for sharing the link! The article focuses on Marine Cloud Brightening (MCB), an unscalable method of solar radiation management. MCB would require thousands of autonomous boats (ideally running without fossil fuels) to locate suitable low-altitude ocean clouds and spray them with finely misted saltwater to increase their reflectivity. At best, this method might achieve localized cooling over ocean areas, but its net impact on global temperatures remains uncertain—scientists are still debating whether it would result in overall cooling or even exacerbate warming in some regions.

The specific experiment mentioned in the article was halted due to a lack of community engagement. The organizers failed to inform or invite the local mayor to the deployment event, leading to public backlash when residents learned about it from the New York Times. Much of the misunderstanding came from a perception that the experiment involved risky technology, though in reality, it was as simple as using a patio mister mounted on a retired warship.

What I was referencing, however, is Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI), which differs significantly from MCB in both the type of aerosol used (typically sulfur dioxide, SO₂) and the location of the injection (the stratosphere, rather than the lower atmosphere). If you're interested in learning more about SAI, here's an excellent primer: https://unchartedterritories.tomaspueyo.com/p/so2-injection


There's only one thing we can do today to delay it before we burn, enough to solve the problem: SO2 injection


This is the only thing we can do?


Nah, we can also debate about it some more as we cook to death...

Fucking democracy, the EU governments wanted to improve environmental protections and fucking farmers protested all over.

It feels like a dictatorship would work better, e.g. in China there are no NIMBYs about nuclear plants or solar panels. Well there are, but a visit by the police would quieten them. No I wouldn't like to live like that but the alternative is having to be considerate to every fucking Karen's opinion as the world burns...


I can’t even imagine a world where a dictator would purely use that power to solve the climate crisis and then return power peacefully.


Ah yes, China. What a stellar environmental record they have. And definitely due to their governance, not anything else.


https://www.brookings.edu/articles/unpacking-chinas-climate-...

To be taken with a huge grain of salt since it's a .cn site: https://govt.chinadaily.com.cn/s/202206/13/WS62a69ff5498ea27...

https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/china-climate-change-polici...: > In 2019, renewables accounted for nearly 15 percent of China’s energy mix, compared to 7 percent a decade earlier. China has used hydropower for years, and it is installing more solar panels and wind power generators as the world’s leading manufacturer of those technologies. It is also boosting its nuclear power capacity, with seventeen reactors under construction as of mid-2021.

Whereas in the US, in 10 months the climate policy could be "It's a hoax, folks. Just a big hoax. The biggest hoax ever.".


They will probably profit from the solution regardless of where you decide to send your support. For example, one of the byproducts of oil refining is sulfur. If you burn sulfur in the presence of oxygen will turn into SO2. Then you can put up in the stratosphere and cool Earth until the last drop of petrochemical is burned or alternative energy is close to free and as accessible as oil and gas.


As a co-founder of Make Sunsets, I'd like to clarify the role of SO2 in climate control. SO2 is considered "easily removable" because, when combined with water, it forms sulfuric acid and precipitates out. This mechanism partially explains why 2023 was the hottest year on record; the EPA's stringent regulations on SOx emissions have significantly reduced the aerosols in our troposphere, removing critical reflective materials.

The impact of SO2, including its effectiveness and atmospheric residence time, varies based on its deployment location (latitude, longitude, altitude), concentration, and particle size.

For instance, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) 2020 regulations have reduced SO2 emissions from cargo ships in the troposphere, leading to decreased respiratory illnesses near ports and less acid rain. However, this reduction in SO2 has also warmed ocean shipping lanes, prompting discussions about reintroducing sulfur into the troposphere. [1]

Deploying SO2 in the stratosphere, above most of the atmospheric water vapor and where winds reach speeds of 200kph, allows it to spread globally and remain airborne longer (1 to 3 years). This higher placement necessitates less frequent applications for the desired reflective effect. The 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo demonstrated this, injecting 20 million tons of SO2 into the stratosphere [2], cooling the Earth by 0.5°C and, according to some models, temporarily reversing decades of warming.

Stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) is likened to Earth's sunscreen, [3] a temporary measure to reflect the Sun's energy and mitigate warming while we address the larger challenge of removing over a trillion tons of greenhouse gases emitted since the 1850s and transitioning away from fossil fuels.

Climate change demands immediate action, and SAI offers us the critical time needed to live in a world with fewer catastrophic climate events.

[1] https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vGEDuEn6uikvGZpR9oZplPPh...

[2] For reference, estimates suggest that global SO2 emissions were around 131 million tons in 1970 and continued to rise, peaking at approximately 150 million tons by the late 1980s in the troposphere.

[3] https://twitter.com/MakeSunsets/status/1741336520366444822


Pinatubo had effects on ozone too and not good ones, just like the recent Australian wildfires.


> Dr. David W. Fahey, Director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Chemical Sciences Laboratory revealed that studies show sulfur aerosols from stratospheric aerosol injection could impact the ozone layer, but not catastrophically. The 1991 Mount Pinatubo volcanic eruption demonstrated the ozone layer's resilience after temporarily cooling the planet by 0.5°C. Despite uncertainties, these findings suggest geoengineering methods like SAI could be explored without causing irreversible damage to the ozone layer.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/09/climate/ozone-hole-restor...


Thanks for the link. I was going off some Susan Solomon papers about Australian wildfires citing Pinatubo.


It is absolutely unbelievable that we now just dump SO2 in the ocean...


OP here, I'd really like to understand why people are writing these comments. Is anyone willing to hop on a video call and stop hiding behind their keyboards? Here's a link to do just that: https://calendly.com/andrew-makesunsets/30min

Cool regards, Andrew Song Co-founder of Make Sunsets



This one balloon releasing reflective clouds in the stratosphere is the equivalent of 38,636 fully-grown trees that last for a year.


That sounds about right, I took a domestic flight from SFO to PSP this week. I had a full-sized tube of toothpaste going there, with no issues, and they took it away coming back.


Co-founder of Make Sunsets here, check out our FAQ which answers all your questions: https://makesunsets.com/pages/faq


Not all but some. The increase of 10% on crops is interesting one, but i'm thinking mainly at the ocean biomass, algae etc.., there are models on this?

SAI can be an option to consider, fast to apply, but maybe the biggest critical question is: how to realize at the same time all the fundamentals actions on co2 reduction and (probably) removal? A scenario i see is: SAI begin and 1deg reduction is reality, an idea begin to circulate: ok we have time, reduction/capure can wait a little more..


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