Is it possible for us to creatively solve the problem of climate change?

When you ask scientists, their responses vary greatly: “Probably not.” “Maybe?” or “Are you crazy?”

Nonetheless, the ideas surrounding geoengineering—methods designed to either reduce carbon dioxide levels or temporarily cool the Earth while we work on longer-term solutions—are gaining traction. However, these suggestions often sound like they belong in a science fiction narrative rather than a serious conversation about climate change.

Some methods proposed include: dehydrating the stratosphere, crafting bubble curtains to shield glaciers from warm waters, dispersing particles in the sky to reflect sunlight, adding iron to ocean waters to enhance carbon absorption, and establishing vast industrial complexes solely focused on capturing carbon dioxide and storing it underground.

These concepts may appear absurd, and even if they function as intended, critics express concern about their potential unintended consequences. Yet, given the urgency of the climate challenge, these innovative proposals have captured the interest of specialists and investors alike.

It’s crucial to note that none of these approaches would allow humanity to continue burning fossil fuels unchecked. They are meant to serve as interim solutions while efforts are made to reduce fossil fuel consumption.

Let’s explore some strategies that could help humanity cool the planet:

Capturing Carbon: Current initiatives to extract carbon dioxide from the atmosphere

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a primary factor contributing to climate change. In the atmosphere, this gas functions like a blanket, trapping heat. The higher the concentration, the warmer the planet becomes. Various organizations globally are investigating methods to extract this gas and sequester it deep underground.

The technology to achieve this already exists, with at least one approach becoming widely accepted. The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change regards it as essential to climate change mitigation.

However, more contentions arise from initiatives that capture CO2 released from oil and natural gas extraction and other industrial processes and then inject it back underground to facilitate further fossil fuel extraction. Critics argue this merely perpetuates fossil fuel dependence, given it allows polluters to continue their activities while receiving subsidies.

A less controversial method consists of large machines resembling fans that draw in air, utilize chemical processes to extract carbon dioxide, and then store it underground.

Last year, the Global Thermostat facility near Denver commenced operations. It has the capacity to capture approximately 1,000 tons of CO2 annually. This plant serves as a pilot demonstration of large-scale effectiveness; however, experts indicate that a far greater number and size of facilities would be needed to make a significant impact. Humanity emits around 35 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year. According to researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, about 500 billion tons would need to be removed to revert atmospheric levels to pre-industrial times.

Additional pilot projects are also in progress in Switzerland, Norway, Canada, and Iceland.

Solar Geoengineering: Utilizing sulfur to generate reflective clouds

This method includes releasing sulfur dioxide or other substances into the stratosphere, reflecting a portion of the sun’s energy back into space to artificially cool the Earth.

This technique mimics what occurs during certain volcanic eruptions, which catapult large quantities of dust and sulfur dioxide high into the atmosphere where weather patterns cannot easily wash it away.

In 1991, the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines released over 15 million tons of sulfur dioxide 21 miles into the atmosphere. This resulted in a haze that scattered and reflected sunlight, causing a drop in global temperatures by nearly 1 degree Fahrenheit during 1992 and 1993 before the particles were finally washed out.

No solution has yet been developed to deploy aerosols in the atmosphere on the scale required to effectively reflect enough sunlight.

Although this proposal wouldn’t reduce the level of greenhouse gases present in the atmosphere, it could provide a temporary reprieve, suggests Wake Smith, a lecturer at Yale School of the Environment and author of “Pandora’s Toolbox: The Hopes and Hazards of Climate Intervention.”

“This is a very immature and contentious technology, so we shouldn’t place too much confidence in it just yet. However, if global temperatures reach dangerously high levels, there is at least one tool that appears potentially helpful.”

Two startups are already exploring this field, although neither has made significant progress yet.

In 2022, a company named Make Sunsets initiated small-scale releases using biodegradable balloons filled with helium and sulfur dioxide that burst in the stratosphere. A startup, Stardust Solutions, founded in 2023 in cooperation with U.S.-Israeli partners, has secured at least $15 million in funding to advance the necessary technology.

Marine Cloud Brightening: Generating reflective clouds above the ocean

Clouds are white and can reflect sunlight, thus diminishing heat accumulation in the atmosphere.

“If we can increase the longevity of clouds, particularly above the oceans,

“People generally don’t want more clouds over land, and making them whiter rather than gray could help reflect more solar energy,” stated Hugh Hunt, an engineering professor at the Centre for Climate Repair at the University of Cambridge in England.

Currently, experiments are underway in Australia to help cool the waters surrounding the Great Barrier Reef.

“One advantage of this approach is that it can be carried out from boats, which feels less intimidating compared to using planes to spray sulfuric acid from 20 kilometers up. It simply involves spraying saltwater from a boat,” explained Shaun Fitzgerald, director of research at Cambridge’s Center for Climate Repair.

However, this technique is limited to small areas, such as reef cooling, and isn’t feasible on a larger scale.

The positive aspect is that its effects are temporary. “If you stop spraying the saltwater, the impact on the clouds will dissipate within a day,” he noted.

This past April, a test of this technology initiated in San Francisco Bay by researchers from the University of Washington was quickly halted by local authorities who feared potential health and environmental risks.

Creating a bubble curtain for glaciers: Insulating ice to slow melting

Glaciers around the globe are melting, a concerning issue due to their potential to significantly increase sea levels.

A study published in May revealed the Thwaites Glacier on the vast West Antarctica Ice Sheet may be eroding faster than previously understood. It’s referred to as the Doomsday Glacier because it holds enough water to raise sea levels by as much as 50 feet. (Recent research suggests this worst-case scenario is unlikely, at least for now.)

The melting of glaciers is attributed to the influx of warmer, salty ocean water pushing underneath them, a phenomenon known as seawater intrusion.

One proposed solution is to block the warmer ocean water from reaching the glaciers’ bases by using a curtain of air bubbles generated from the ocean floor, which would act as insulation and redirect the warmer water back to the sea instead of under the glacier.

“We’re exploring methods to pump air through a pipe with holes to create a bubble curtain that disrupts water flow,” Fitzgerald noted.

Ocean fertilization: Capturing CO2 through decaying algae

The concept involves adding iron to the oceans to encourage blooms of algae and plankton, which would absorb CO2 from the water into their biomass.

Approximately 30% of the world’s oceans are deficient in iron, which hinders the growth of these tiny oceanic organisms.

When these blooms die, they would sink to the ocean floor, potentially locking away the CO2.

Nevertheless, the permanence of this CO2 storage remains uncertain, along with the effectiveness of this technology. A study conducted in 2023 indicated that ocean iron fertilization might deplete nutrients in surrounding areas and could reduce the populations of fish and marine life by as much as 5%.

Contributing: Ramon Padilla