White House is pushing ahead research to cool earth by reflecting back sunlight
Summary
The 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo, for instance, spewed thousands of tons of sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere, causing global temperatures to drop temporarily by about 1 degree Fahrenheit, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. In other words, weve been doing one form of sunlight reflection for decades already, but in an uncontrolled fashion with terrible warming effects, explains Kelly Wanser, the executive director of SilverLining, an organization promoting research and governance of climate interventions. The Montreal Protocol adopted on September 16, 1987, regulates and phases out the use of ozone depleting substances, such as hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) which were commonly used in refrigeration and air conditioners, but that healing process is still ongoing. "Even the people like me who think its very important to do research on these things and to develop the capabilities all agree that the urgent top priority for managing climate change is cutting emissions," Parson told CNBC. Doing research is also important because many onlookers expect that some country, facing an unprecedented climate disaster, will act unilaterally to will try some version of sunlight modification anyway — even if it hasnt been carefully studied.