If it encourages more fossil emissions by masking the climate pain they cause, then it is addictive because every ton of extra fossil carbon emissions increases climate risks, thereby increasing the demand for geoengineering to mask the pain. Fact check: Bill Gates is not trying to 'block the sun's rays' in the name of climate change. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. 60 Scientists Want to Block the Sun: Solar Geoengineering Facts The SCoPEx team is aiming to collect data to enhance computer models and has said it plans to release a nontoxic chemical, but not to scatter sunlight back into space. False: The claim is demonstrably false. Since 2007, Bill Gates has funded research initiatives that, in part, provide grants for experiments related to solar radiation management a form of geoengineering controversially proposed. The Gates-supported study seeks to do exploratory, small-scale experiments in the atmosphere: Calcium carbonate is a plentiful and harmless mineral thats also the active ingredient in Tums. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. Gates did not personally hatch a plan, nor is he or anyone scheming to block out the sun. UK researchers experiment with a solar geoengineering system called 801 3rd St. S "JUST IN: Bill Gates next venture will try to spray dust into the atmosphere to block the sun. The geoengineering project is an attempt to cool the earth's overall temperature. Yet the debate over solar geoengineering is likely to persist, as it enjoys the backing of wealthy individuals such as Gates, and the support of key scientific institutions, including the powerful U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, which is urging the U.S. government to set up a federal research program to advance the technologies to the tune of up to $200 million. NO MORE CROPS, NO FOOD, NO PLANTS NO NOTHING!!! The claim that solar geoengineering is an effort to "block out the sun" is inaccurate; the technology is a riff on a naturally occurring process. An article headline says, "Bill Gates hatches 'horribly stupid' plan to block out the sun.". The science has spoken. The project revolves around the concept of geoengineering, large-scale efforts to reducethe effects of climate change usually temporarily on oceans, soils and atmosphere. The perfect aerosol would not immediately tamper with stratospheric chemistry at all: The only thing it would do is scatter maximum sunlight and hence cool down the planet.. The SCoPEx project is partially funded by the Harvard University Solar Geoengineering Research Program (SGRP), which lists Bill Gates as one of its philanthropic donors. Bill Gates' Savior Complex Spirals Out of Control, Funds Sun-Dimming Plan To Save the Human Race, says concerns like these are not supported by science, Fact check: Bill Gates is not planning to microchip the world through a COVID-19 vaccine, Planned Harvard balloon test in Sweden stirs solar geoengineering unease, Bill Gates' Savior Complex Spirals Out of Control, Funds Sun-Dimming Plan To Save the Human Race, Could dimming the sun save the Earth? Cocaine Bear Isnt the Only Animal Getting High. Bill Gates and Harvard want scientists to study solar geoengineering. Suggests root canals are linked to breast cancer. Bill Gates Wants to Dim the Sun | What Is Solar Geoengineering? The Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment (SCoPEx) will spray a special calcium dust into the sky in order to reflect sunlight back into space. Make a DIY Cigar Box Florescent Rock Display. Doing serious investigation of what its risks are and how well it could work provides the next generation with better information to make a more informed decision. Rather, it will serve as a test to maneuver the balloon and examine communications and operational systems. Bill Gates Is Thinking About Dimming the Sun, Everything You Need to Know About the Sun, These Are the 13 Biggest Planes in the World, want scientists to study solar geoengineering, Harvard Universitys Solar Geoengineering Research Program, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. But the same factors that make solar geoengineering a radical idea make it almost impossible to test, even on the small scale. But there's another nightmare: It's that after bringing emissions to zero, we realize in hindsight that early use of geoengineering could have saved millions of lives lost in heat waves and helped preserve some of the natural world. Prominent campaigner Greta Thunberg came out in support of the indigenous peoples and against solar geoengineering. With assistance from Hayley Arlin and James Grant. The first takeoff would not release aerosols into the skies, however. This group signs off on major research decisions and audits SCoPEx's finances. A small amount of material is then released to create a "perturbed air mass" about 100 yards wide and a half-mile long. "Geoengineering is a blanket term for technologies that try to alter Earths physical qualities on the largest scale possible," Popular Mechanics reported. UK researchers experiment with a solar geoengineering system called SATAN SEAS Researchers Postpone Test Flight for Controversial Geoengineering May 2021: Bill Gates, Harvard University back solar geoengineering to fight global warming. Thats hard to say right now, but all of the scientists and backers involved are only suggesting doing researchnot taking large-scale action. Bill Gates has provided undisclosed amounts of funding to academic research into solar geoengineering research, which in turn helps to fund the SCoPEx project. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. For example, no credible scientist is arguing that SCoPEx, by releasing 4.4 pounds of chalky power 12 miles above the arctic, will, as the Daily Mail put it, "trigger a disastrous series of chain reactions, creating climate havoc in the form of serious droughts and hurricanes, and bring death to millions of people around the world." Major disruption of the global climate could bring unintended consequences, negatively impacting highly populated regions and engineering another refugee crisis. Fact Check: Is Bill Gates Trying to Block the Sun? - Newsweek We may earn commission if you buy from a link. According to the team, the design for future SCoPEx flights required a balloon that can fly a 600 kg payload close to an altitude of 12 miles. .css-v1xtj3{display:block;font-family:FreightSansW01,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-weight:100;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-v1xtj3:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-v1xtj3{font-size:1.1387rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:0.625rem;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-v1xtj3{line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.css-v1xtj3{font-size:1.18581rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.5rem;margin-top:0rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-v1xtj3{font-size:1.23488rem;line-height:1.2;margin-top:0.9375rem;}}USAF's Reactor Creates Jet Fuel Out of Water, Air, Ring Lasers Can Allow Time Travel, Scientist Says, Mystery on Easter Island: More Moai Found in Lake, Ironton Found: Solving An 1894 Shipwreck Mystery, Scientists Discovered a Highly Reactive Superacid, 60 Scientists Are Trying to Block the Sun. For these reasons, and because SCoPEx does not from a factual standpoint actually dim or block the sun, we rate the claim that Gates is funding research that "would help block out the sun" as "Mostly False.". #BillGates is buying out all of the farmlands and trying to figure out ways to block out the SUN for THREE DAYS!!! It's made ofPET, EVA and monocrystalline silicon, and it'santi-reflective andhigh transparency. If you live somewhere with low light, you might be worried that solar panels aren't for you, but these actually perform excellently in low light conditions. Geoengineering and Bill Gates blocking out the sun. In June 2021, some 30 groups of indigenous peoples from around the world called on Harvard University to abandon the Gates-backed plans to test its solar geoengineering tech with the help of the Swedish Space Corporation. stated on March 3, 2023 in a Conservative Political Action Conference speech: stated on February 19, 2023 in a Facebook post: stated on February 24, 2023 in an Instagram post: stated on March 2, 2023 in a speech at CPAC: stated on February 25, 2023 in a Facebook post: stated on February 22, 2023 in a Facebook post: stated on February 26, 2023 in an Instagram post: stated on February 27, 2023 in a Facebook post: All Rights Reserved Poynter Institute 2020, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Microsofts . Bill Gates backing plan to stop climate change by blocking out the sun Bill Gates's PR companies are again reporting on a UN study that is pushing for atmospheric modification to block the sun. Further, a diffuse cloud of chalky powder gently perturbed by a propeller-driven weather balloon 12 miles above the arctic is in no way capable of altering the global climate system. In a future test, the team is planning to use a high-altitude balloon to lift a package holding calcium carbonate approximately 20 km into the atmosphere. of Solar Radiation Management," Jan. 25, 2015, Philosophical Transactions of The Royal Society, "Stratospheric controlled perturbation experiment: a small-scale experiment to improve understanding of the risks of solar geoengineering," 2014, PolitiFact, "No, Bill Gates did not outline 2018 plan to depopulate the planet," May 3, 2018, PolitiFact, "No, the Gates Foundation isnt pushing microchips with all medical procedures," May 20, 2020, Popular Mechanics, "Bill Gates Will Have to Wait a While to Block the Sun," April 12, 2021, Popular Mechanics, "Bill Gates Is Thinking About Dimming the Sun," March 26, 2021, Poynter, "Claims that Bill Gates is going to block the sun lack context," April 15, 2021, Scientific American, "Solar Geoengineering Should be Investigated, Scientists Say," March 26, 2021, Snopes, "Is Bill Gates Funding Efforts To Block The Sun?" Digital IDs were given to residents in East Palestine, Ohio, to track long term health problems like difficulty breathing before the Feb. 3 train derailment. Such geoengineering . Proponents of solar geoengineering, also known as solar radiation modification, say deployment of the technology could be a shortcut to slow a rise in global temperatures that is stoking more. Geoengineering is a blanket term for technologies that try to alter Earths physical qualities on the largest scale possible. In theory, solar geoengineering is based on the idea that experts can reduce the impact of global warming by reflecting sunlight back into space using chemicals. A report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change suggested the SCoPEx procedure could lower global temperatures by a full 1.5 C for no more than $1-10 billion a year. Gates' financial involvement with SCoPEx has been documented since November 2018. "Decision-makers and the public they serve need balanced information about the effectiveness and risks of geoengineering," he wrote in that editorial. Claim that Bill Gates is scheming to block the sun is wrong A snapshot of searches between March 1 and 2 included breakout results largely based around: "Bill Gates trying to block sun. To refine these models, scientists need to know how the aerosols interact with the atmosphere on a nanoscale. This is geoengineerings addiction problem, often called its moral hazard. The Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment (SCoPEx) aimed to see how a tiny amount of aerosol in a trial would influence the immediate surroundings. Slippery-slope arguments aside, this is a far cry from an attempt to geoengineer the world. And thats what this news really is: keeping options open and exploring the ramifications of a radical technology. The United States, Brazil, and Saudi Arabia blocked a 2019 United Nations assessment of global geoengineering plans. The claim among Twitter users is that Gates' involvement with the academic project is somehow nefarious, and that he ultimately wants to "block the sun" from the Earth. Some people say you shouldn't even work on the insurance policy because it might make you lazy, that you'll keep eating because you know heart surgery will be there to save you. END TIMES NEWS UPDATE: Bill Gates wants to block the sun, White COVID-19 was created in a lab by EcoHealth, funded by Fauci and Gates, with Wuhan/CIA/DARPA. The most commonly proposed method is to use aerosols "the gaseous clouds formed by particles of many common materials" because the physical structure of their particles blocks and scatters light, according to Popular Mechanics. Lets just say the plan doesnt work out as intended. Bill Gates-funded Study to Dim Sunlight May Be Needed - Newsweek Her favorite topics include nuclear energy, cosmology, math of everyday things, and the philosophy of it all. He's also known for wanting to save us from ourselves. Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com, A project funded by Bill Gates "would help block out the sun. It also has made him a frequent target for conspiracy theories. The eclipse is the first total solar eclipse since August 2017. It's also easy to use and compact in size, making it easy to store when not needed. Daily Star, "Bill Gates hatches 'horribly stupid' plan to block out the Sun - just like Mr Burns," Feb. 21, 2022, David Keiths Research Group, "Fund for Innovative Climate and Energy Research," accessed Feb. 25, 2022, Harvards Solar Geoengineering Research Program, "Funding," accessed Feb. 25, 2022, Keutsch Group at Harvard, "SCoPEx," accessed Feb. 25, 2022, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, "New Report Says U.S. Should Cautiously Pursue Solar Geoengineering Research to Better Understand Options for Responding to Climate Change Risks," March 25, 2021, Natural Resources Defense Council, "The Dept. Gates, who dropped out of Harvard in 1975 to co-found Microsoft, has provided funding to the university for climate research since 2007. Improved understanding of these processes will help answer applied questions such as, is it possible to find aerosols that can reduce or eliminate ozone loss, without increasing other physical risks?". Such statements describe popularly held concerns about the concept of geoengineering as a whole. Sweden Scraps Bill Gates' Geoengineering Plot To Block The Sun Unlike sulfates, which can lead to ozone loss, calcium carbonate is not particularly reactive. As noted by Nature in 2018, the concept in a broad sense is designed to spray particles into the stratosphere that may cool the planet by reflecting some of the Sun's rays. So how does that work???". SCoPEx planned a small pilot experiment, with the rationale that we need to scrutinize and consider the idea of solar geoengineering today so we dont end up relying on a totally untested technology in the future. Improved understanding of these processes will help answer applied questions such as, is it possible to find aerosols that can reduce or eliminate ozone loss, without increasing other physical risks? That was an atmospheric aerosol event. "Bill Gates is attempting to block the sun in order to keep the Earth more cool." Days later, on Monday night, Tucker Carlson dog-whistled to conspiracy theorists, telling Fox News viewers that "your body" is "Bill Gates' body now," because the Microsoft founder is helping to fund global COVID-19 vaccination efforts. The ultimate aim is not to roll out some major solar geoengineering apparatus, but to collect data that will better inform computer models, researchers said. The researchers behind the forthcoming Harvard project, the Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment (SCoPEx), say we must study solar geoengineering in case we need to take a drastic action against climate change. This will likely postpone the platform launch until 2022, the committee said. Tosca Austen on Twitter: "RT @ToscaAusten: Bill Gates, farmer The test was originally scheduled for June 2021, but will be delayed until at least 2022. The post also claims: "Geo engineering is actually a thing and Bill Gates has been backed to try and 'block out the sun'." According to the Met Office, geoengineering is the "deliberate large-scale manipulation of climate". Sweden Scraps Bill Gates' Geoengineering Plot To Block The Sun. Just as quickly as it was announced, a controversial solar geoengineering . It also has made him a. Widespread research into the efficacy of solar geoengineering has been stalled for years due to controversy. Bill Gates ' involvement with a geo-engineering experiment aimed at slowing climate breakdown has prompted viral conspiracy-laden claims centred around the idea that he "wants to block out the sun". Rather, the project seeks to understand the potential risks of geoengineering. 1.5K. With everyone from investors to indigenous groups involved in the process, SCoPEx will never get off the ground without a lot of diplomacy. Gates himself has put his money where his mouth is, backing a Harvard University experiment to look at the effect of spraying particles into the stratosphere to, in theory, create a global cooling effect. In fact, it would be less material than spews from airplanes, rockets or routine balloon launches. A doctor at the Mayo Clinic is misdiagnosing pregnancies of Trump supporters so they have abortions. Due to the controversial subject matter (more on that below) and the fact that it is privately funded, SCoPEx is overseen by an outside panel of advisers run by Harvard. Bill Gates has provided undisclosed amounts of funding to academic research into solar geoengineering research, which in turn helps to fund the SCoPEx project. The balloon will be used to measure resulting changes, including atmospheric chemistry. Lastly, they ask, who would get to decide how solar geoengineering is usedand how would such a decision be fair? The incremental nature of SCoPEx cannot be understated. For his part, SCoPEx researcher and Harvard Professor Frank Keutsch has argued that concerns like these are unsupported by scientific research and motivated more by fears about geoengineering being a problematic, pro-fossil fuel solution to global warming. The SCoPEx project is partially funded by the Harvard University Solar Geoengineering Research Program (SGRP), which lists Bill Gates as one of its philanthropic donors. For one thing, the methods could have unintended consequences on global weather patterns. I'm not sure that's wise, given the importance of the problem, but there's now the geoengineering discussion about: Should that be in the back pocket in case things happen faster, or this innovation [in sustainable energy] goes a lot slower than we expect? The only reason the experiment was in the news in December 2020, for instance, is because the project found a company to facilitate the launch of a weather balloon. Aerosols are the gaseous clouds formed by particles of many common materials. The article shared in the Facebook post also falsely claims that the experiment will "kick off in June." David Keith, a professor of applied physics and public policy at Harvard University, recognizes the very many real concerns of geoengineering. (Photo by Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images). Carbon capture, where emissions are taken and sequestered beneath Earths surface, is another major form of geoengineering. So what should humanity do about it? Why Trust Us? Bill Gates Is Thinking About Dimming the Sun In late 2022, the startup Make Sunsets announced that it was injecting small amounts of aerosols into the stratosphere as an experiment in solar. Bill Gates, who recently suggested the world should eat 100 percent synthetic beef and said bitcoin is bad for the planet, has set his sights on a new foe: the sun. While Gates is one of geoengineering research's most significant (at least in financial terms) champions, his funding of this research does not stem from a desire to implement so-called "last-ditch" solutions. Scientists have devised multiple ways to block sunlight from reaching Earths atmosphere or surface. Almost any everyday substance can be aerosolized in the right conditionsthe term is simply any airborne fine particulate that can float in clouds like a gas. Scientists say this lack of concrete information and consensus is a critical failure that must be corrected with new studies. Mexico Bans Tests to Block the Sun: What Is Solar Geoengineering? Harvard researchers proposed a small-scale experiment that would spray aerosols into the atmosphere to reflect some sunlight back into space, a technology aimed at minimizing global warming. American journalist Jack Posobiec was arrested at World Economic Forum., The Uvalde, Texas, mass shooter was an illegal alien., Says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he wants Americas sons and daughters to go die in Ukraine., In Ohio, there are 75,000 acres of farmland, fertile farmland, that are all now being poured down with acid rain., Muslims by the millions are converting to Christianity.. Is Bill Gates Funding Efforts To Block The Sun? The Keutsch group planned its first test flight for June 2021, which would. Aerosols are the gaseous clouds. The world's richest man has provided at least $4.5 million of his own money over 3 years for the study of methods that could alter the stratosphere to reflect solar energy, techniques to filter carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere, and brighten . But if we dont understand how solar geoengineering will affect the world, by the time we need it as an option in our climate playbook, it will be too late. In an open letter, the 16 initiators of the Solar Geoengineering Non-Use Agreementall scholars in their own rightargue there are three main grounds for preventing the use of such technologies. "People are right to fear over-reliance on technofixes. Aim: dim the Sun. We should also note Gates' involvement in the SCoPEx project is purely financial. We do not approve legitimising development towards solar geoengineering technology, nor for it to be conducted in or above our lands, territories and skies, nor in any ecosystems anywhere, the signatories stated in a letter drafted by the Saami Council, which represents indigenous Saami people across Scandinavia and in Russia. You'll get everything you need in one, includingan100W solar panel, 30A PWM negative ground charge controller, MC4 connectors, a8Ft 10 AWG tray cable, and mounting Z brackets for an RV or boat. One example is this April 8Facebook post, which reads:"Let me get this straight. Concerned groups want a clearer understanding of consequences before the launch. "The laws governing Agenda 2030 land development allows the government to seize polluted lands and move their residents to smart cities., Bill Gates hatches 'horribly stupid' plan to block out the Sun - just like Mr Burns, Fund for Innovative Climate and Energy Research, New Report Says U.S. Should Cautiously Pursue Solar Geoengineering Research to Better Understand Options for Responding to Climate Change Risks, Stratospheric controlled perturbation experiment: a small-scale experiment to improve understanding of the risks of solar geoengineering, No, Bill Gates did not outline 2018 plan to depopulate the planet, No, the Gates Foundation isnt pushing microchips with all medical procedures, Bill Gates Will Have to Wait a While to Block the Sun, Bill Gates Is Thinking About Dimming the Sun, Claims that Bill Gates is going to block the sun lack context, Solar Geoengineering Should be Investigated, Scientists Say.