Climate scientists propose developing a canopy the size of Argentina, which would block the sun’s rays to mitigate the effects of global warming on Earth. They believe that a shade of one million square miles could lower the Earth’s temperature by 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit within two years.
According to the British Daily Mail website, the first model has an area of 100 square feet, which they said could be achieved by 2027.
The “sail” will be placed more than nine million miles from Earth and move through space by opening and closing the shading layer.
As researchers move forward with this proposal, critics say the cost of the “megastructure” would be staggering, with the design expected to run into the trillions.
Harvard physicist Avi Loeb commented on the project, saying: “Creating any of these ‘megastructures’ in space would be very expensive and would require significant international cooperation by reallocating funds from military budgets to peaceful purposes.”
Darkening or blocking the sun to cool the Earth has been a plan among many scientists. In 2021, a $3 million initiative presented by Bill Gates revealed that it aims to spray millions of tons of chalk into the stratosphere.
Last year, the White House announced it was open to plans to block sunlight from reaching the Earth’s surface in an effort to stop global warming.
While the canopy could reduce temperature rise while other strategies are pursued to combat climate change, some experts believe the project is a waste of time.
A massive parachute would be “astronomically expensive and cannot be implemented in a timely manner,” Suzanne Bohr, a doctoral candidate at the European Center for Advanced Research and Training in Scientific Computing in France, told the New York Times.
“On top of the costs, solar storms or asteroids could damage the shield, leading to a sudden and rapid overheating with disastrous consequences,” Bohr added.
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