WHITE HOUSE REPORT HINTS AT BLOCKING SUNLIGHT TO COOL PLANET EARTH, NO FORMAL STUDY PLANNED NOW

The White House website has published a research document indicating that the Biden administration is researching into how sunlight might be prevented in order to save the earth from the crisis of climate change.

According to a congressionally mandated report provided by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the authorized team has been exploring “geoengineering” strategies to prevent the sun’s beams from exacerbating global warming.

As noted by the University of Oxford in its entry on the subject, “geoengineering” is “the deliberate large-scale intervention in the Earth’s natural systems to counteract climate change”.

“These unknowns, and the ever-evolving understanding of complex Earth systems, provide a compelling case for research to better understand both the potential benefits and risks,” the report says.

The report comes from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and was produced to fulfill a congressional mandate included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act passed in 2022, which asked the White House to develop a “research governance framework to provide guidance on transparency, engagement, and risk management for publicly funded work in solar geoengineering research.”

For decades, solar radiation modification has been relegated to the realm of science fiction. But as the effects of climate change have become more obvious and dangerous, some argue that climate intervention may be less dangerous than the global warming that would happen without them.

Geoengineering – the way forward? 

The report’s introduction indicates that the research into “space-based approaches” has not been taking place as “geoengineering” is comparatively easy to implement.

“The focus on atmospheric approaches also follows from their greater near-term feasibility relative to space-based approaches,” stated the document. No government policy is attached to the document as of yet as it is just a research document.

“This Research Plan focuses on improving understanding of the potential impacts of SRM, rather than on technologies needed for deployment. Much of this research would contribute to our ability to understand basic climate processes and effects of human greenhouse gas emissions, as well as outcomes of SRM,” the document read.

“A programme of research into the scientific and societal implications of solar radiation modification (SRM) would enable better-informed decisions about the potential risks and benefits of SRM as a component of climate policy,” the summary continued.

The document did accept that the research could pave the way for corporate projects or a future government in this field. “Such a research programme would also help to prepare the United States for possible deployment of SRM by other public or private actors,” it stated.

“SRM offers the possibility of cooling the planet significantly on a timescale of a few years,” it stated. The White House, in a separate statement, assured readers that “there are no plans underway to establish a comprehensive research programme focused on solar radiation modification.”