Original version

BBC World Service Online

The Climate Question

Factual: Science & Nature: Nature & Environment

Why we find it so hard to save our own planet, and how we might change that.

BBC World Service Australasia

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

BBC World Service

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

BBC World Service South Asia

BBC World Service News Internet

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

BBC World Service East Asia

The Climate Question: Should we ‘dim the sun’ to save the planet?

Magazines & Reviews

30/05/2021 GMT

Should we ‘dim the sun’ to save the planet?

BBC World Service - The Climate Question, Should we ‘dim the sun’ to save the planet?

Could solar geoengineering help us avoid the worst impacts of climate change?

Some scientists are calling for more research into ‘solar geoengineering’ - the controversial idea of using technology to cool global temperatures.

Scientists agree that cutting carbon emissions as soon as possible is key to tackling global warming. But as emissions continue to rise, some are now calling for more research into measures that could be used alongside decarbonisation, including – controversially – what’s known as ‘solar geoengineering’ technologies.  
 
One idea being considered is spraying light-reflecting particles into the atmosphere to temporarily cool down the earth. It may sound far-fetched, but the idea is based on naturally observed effects following volcanic eruptions. Scientists are now asking whether we could mimic those effects to avoid the worst climate impacts.  
 
But research into this technology is not without opposition. A recent solar geoengineering experiment in Sweden got cancelled following a fierce backlash from indigenous and environmental groups. Many say tampering with the climate in this way is too risky to ever try in the real world.  
 
So how does solar geoengineering work? What are the risks? And will we ever have to use it?  
 
Contributors:  
Elizabeth Kolbert, staff writer at the New Yorker and author of Under a White Sky 
Asa Larrson-Blind, Vice-President of the Saami Council 
Raymond Pierrehumbert, Halley Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford 
David Keith, Professor of Applied Physics and Public Policy at Harvard University

Presenters: Neal Razzell and Graihagh Jackson 
Producers: Zoe Gelber and Jordan Dunbar
Series producer: Rosamund Jones 
Editor: Emma Rippon

Accessibility links

Programme Index

The Climate Question

Should we ‘dim the sun’ to save the planet?

Genres

Formats

Brand

BBC World Service Online

About BBC World Service