On a merchant site where you can buy “cooling credits” like you would buy a smartphone shell, the start-up Make Sunsets claims to have already released sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere.
The objective: to use the capabilities of this chemical compound to reflect part of the Sun’s rays into space and reduce the effects of global warming. An operation considered dangerous by most scientists, which the leaders of Make Sunsets say they are aware of.
Make Sunsets: a fight against global warming from 10 dollars
$10. That’s all the purchase of your first loan will cost you. For this prize, Make Sunsets will send a balloon charged with sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere. It will stay there between six months and three years: during this time, the compound it contains will reflect the sun’s rays, mitigating the consequences of the greenhouse effect.
If the sign does not specify how much sulfur will be released for 10 dollars, it is establishing its activity by giving cooling credits. According to her, a gram of sulfur released at an altitude of 20 kilometers must compensate for the effects of a ton of carbon dioxide (while admitting that estimates vary enormously according to studies). Still according to her, 50 billion dollars would be enough to offset all of the CO2 produced by human activities.
Geoengineering, a highly controversial idea
The idea is not new. It is also not complex from a technical point of view and others have already tried it. The release of sulfur dioxide into the air is the most popular method when talking about geoengineering, that is to say all the techniques aimed at modifying or manipulating the climate.
However, it faces very strong controversies. For Luke Iseman, co-founder and CEO of Make Sunsets, this is partly a militant act, wishing that his start-up fuel a public debate on geoengineering and that scientific experiments in the field, who have so far encountered serious obstacles, can move forward.
Beyond the moral issue of climate manipulation, scientists are particularly concerned that adding sulfur particles to the atmosphere will damage the ozone layer or alter the monsoon cycle. Furthermore, the issue of CO2 is not limited to simple warming: it also concerns the acidification of the oceans, for example.
On its site, Make Sunsets says it is fully aware of the criticisms that the brand has aroused. In his FAQ, when asked ” I would like you to stop your activity “, she answers : ” And we would like a fair future, with breathable air, for generations to come. Convince us there’s a more practical way to save time to get there and we’ll stop “.
Sources: MIT Technology Review, Make Sunsets
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