Scientists are working on ways to artificially cool the earth

Scientists are working on methods to artificially cool the earth.

The focus is on three possibilities in the air, in the water and on land.

Boston - It's getting hotter and hotter on our planet.

And we are already feeling the effects of climate change (* FNP reported): heat waves *, droughts and forest fires are more frequent and more extreme.

Scientists are therefore constantly working on methods to cool the earth down.

There are currently three strategies that give researchers hope.

Scientists collect strategies to artificially curb climate change under the term

geoengineering

or

solar geoengineering

, when the sun's rays are reflected back into space.

Critics complain, among other things, that these interventions and manipulations in the global climate system could have many unexpected and devastating consequences.

Artificially cooling the earth: researchers take nature as a role model

One of the most promising ways to contain the heat on our planet is through the volcano effect. It is based on a simple principle: sulfur aerosols should be hurled into the stratosphere, where they combine with water particles and reflect the sun's rays. Microsoft founder Bill Gates supports a similar project at Harvard University *.

As

reported by

wetter.de

, this “Stratospheric Aerosol Injection” (SAI) is based on nature.

Researchers have regularly observed that the earth cools down after volcanic eruptions, as aerosols and dust are released there.

Artificially cooling the earth over the long term using this method, however, often takes several decades.

Critics also fear that extreme weather conditions could increase or the ozone layer could be damaged.

Sea: water as warm as it has not been for 50 years

The harmful rays of the sun can apparently also be reflected in water to cool the earth.

Researchers want to cover the sea surface with so-called "microbubbles".

According to

phys.org

the sea will cool the planet for years through the artificial foam.

The idea came from Harvard physicist Russell Seitz.

He is convinced that this method would sustainably lower the water temperature in the sea.

Especially since the ocean temperature is overheating more and more, as

reported by

scinexx.de

.

The consequences of excessively warm water are devastating in the long run: Extreme weather phenomena *, destroyed marine habitats and rise in sea levels.

But here, too, critical researchers are concerned that this artificial method of cooling could have negative consequences for the sea and its ecosystems.

Artificial cooling: "The energy goes back into space instead of into the stone"

In the countryside, white cities are said to shield the earth from the destructive solar radiation. This method is already common practice in many regions of the world, for example in Greece or Turkey. Since dark buildings and concrete heat up faster, a white paint could help, researchers suspect. As

reported by

spiegel.de

, the American energy minister suggested at a meeting with Nobel Prize winners in 2009 that almost all roofs in the USA and worldwide be painted white. “The energy goes back into space instead of into the stone,” says Steven Chu. The houses would have to be less air-conditioned and would store less heat.

It is not yet clear whether and which of these methods will be widely used in the future. But: Human-made global warming is advancing. If greenhouse emissions are not reduced, a warming of 0.2 degrees Celsius per decade is very likely for the next 30 years, according to the Federal Environment Agency. * FNP

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