I should know by now, but sometimes the hubris of startup founders is still shocking
In this example, a startup is attempting solar geoengineering by releasing particles into the atmosphere without permission from regional (or any) authorities, and without scientific oversight.
And (surprise!) they’re trying to profit off their unsanctioned work:
The company is already attempting to earn revenue from the cooling effects of future flights. It is offering to sell $10 “cooling credits” on its site, for releasing one gram of particles in the stratosphere — enough, it asserts, to offset the warming effect of one ton of carbon for one year.
…even though actual scientists say this is wildly premature and ‘a terrible idea’:
…little is known about the real-world effect of such deliberate interventions at large scales, including the potential for dangerous side-effects, uneven impacts across different regions and resulting geopolitical conflicts.
…no one can credibly sell credits that purports to represent such a specific per gram outcome, given vast uncertainty at this stage of research.