For these reasons, and because SCoPEx does not from a factual standpoint actually dim or block the sun, we rate the claim that Gates is funding research that "would help block out the sun" as "Mostly False.". The experiment would measure the risks and effectiveness of the technology. Keutsch's counter, in essence, is that we don't yet know enough about the mechanics of the solution to adequately understand its risks. Carbon capture, where emissions are taken and sequestered beneath Earths surface, is another major form of geoengineering. "Geoengineering is a blanket term for technologies that try to alter Earths physical qualities on the largest scale possible," Popular Mechanics reported. Solar geoengineering with aerosols runs head into the fact that aerosols, like ozone layer-destroying chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) spray aerosols, have often been a contributor to climate change. 01 Mar 2023 04:14:30 If the plan is green-lit, a high-altitude balloon would disperse the mineral dust to study the viability, and risks, of solar geoengineering. With everyone from investors to indigenous groups involved in the process, SCoPEx will never get off the ground without a lot of diplomacy. Geoengineering is the term for technologies that try to alter Earths physical qualities on the largest scale possible. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.). Geoengineering and Bill Gates blocking out the sun. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. Instead, the balloon would test properties of the hardware and software needed for future trials, including propellers, power, data, navigation and the communication systems. But if we dont understand how solar geoengineering will affect the world, by the time we need it as an option in our climate playbook, it will be too late. Bei der Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps verwenden wir, unsere Websites und Apps fr Sie bereitzustellen, Nutzer zu authentifizieren, Sicherheitsmanahmen anzuwenden und Spam und Missbrauch zu verhindern, und, Ihre Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps zu messen, personalisierte Werbung und Inhalte auf der Grundlage von Interessenprofilen anzuzeigen, die Effektivitt von personalisierten Anzeigen und Inhalten zu messen, sowie, unsere Produkte und Dienstleistungen zu entwickeln und zu verbessern. Keith wrote in a blog post last December there are "no easy answers" to climate change and noted that a "technology's risks depend on how it's used. Concerned groups want a clearer understanding of consequences before the launch. The experiment involves launching a high-altitude balloon about 12 miles into the atmosphere, according to its website. In 2007, Gates created a grant-making research fund known as the Fund for Innovative Climate and Energy Research (FICER). Sweden Scraps Bill Gates' Geoengineering Plot To Block The Sun. Solar geoengineering, also known as radiation management, is based on the idea of using technologies to fight climate change by reflecting sunlight back into space. A new coalition of scholars wants the technology effectively banned. Microsoft founder Bill Gates (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) The Harvard researchers have claimed that, if it were launched this year, it would cost about $3.5 billion (2.74 billion), plus. "It doesn't guarantee they'll make the right decision. Already, about 30% of the suns energy is reflected back into space by clouds and ice, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental nonprofit group. This bioweapon attack on humanity cost us $20T, millions of lives, and our freedom. Such statements describe popularly held concerns about the concept of geoengineering as a whole. Measuring the ways that aerosols alter stratospheric chemistry can, for example, improve the ability of global models to predict how large-scale geoengineering could possibly disrupt stratospheric ozone. Such assertions or implications are misleading in several regards described in detail below. Proponents of solar geoengineering, also known as solar radiation modification, say deployment of the technology could be a shortcut to slow a rise in global temperatures that is stoking more. Sie knnen Ihre Einstellungen jederzeit ndern, indem Sie auf unseren Websites und Apps auf den Link Datenschutz-Dashboard klicken. The Swedish Space Corporation has agreed to help launch a balloon close to the town of Kiruna, Forbes reported. The SCoPEx team is aiming to collect data to enhance computer models and has said it plans to release a nontoxic chemical, but not to scatter sunlight back into space. The Daily Mail, a British tabloid newspaper, reported in August 2019 that Gates "wants to spray millions of tonnes of dust into the stratosphere to stop global warming.". The claim first surfaced in 2021 and has been previously debunked. Claim that Bill Gates is scheming to block the sun is wrong If Your Time is short Harvard researchers proposed a small-scale experiment that would spray aerosols into the atmosphere to. The post also claims: "Geo engineering is actually a thing and Bill Gates has been backed to try and 'block out the sun'." According to the Met Office, geoengineering is the "deliberate large-scale manipulation of climate". It can fully charge a 50Ah Battery from 50% in 3 hours. In an open letter, the 16 initiators of the Solar Geoengineering Non-Use Agreementall scholars in their own rightargue there are three main grounds for preventing the use of such technologies. An effort to dim the sun to stop global warming has been scrapped by the Swedish Space Agency, who announced that the program, funded by Bill Gates, has 'divided the scientific community' and will therefore not be carried out. .css-v1xtj3{display:block;font-family:FreightSansW01,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-weight:100;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-v1xtj3:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-v1xtj3{font-size:1.1387rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:0.625rem;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-v1xtj3{line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.css-v1xtj3{font-size:1.18581rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.5rem;margin-top:0rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-v1xtj3{font-size:1.23488rem;line-height:1.2;margin-top:0.9375rem;}}These Are the 13 Biggest Planes in the World, Why Russian Hybrid Warfare Failed in Ukraine, Three Nifty Hacks to Make Drilling Easier, Whats New With F1 Tires for the 2023 Season, Memes Could Save Us From Superintelligent Machines, The Secret War to Take out Iran's F-14 Fighters, Meet the E-7 Wedgetail, the Air Forces New Plane, Report: Pilot Error Ruined a $112 Million F-35 Jet. If successful, this could be a step towards a second experimental stage that would release a small amount of CaCO3 dust into the atmosphere. Proponents of so-called solar geoengineering, such as tech billionaire Bill Gates, say techniques intended to block a portion of the solar radiation reaching the planet ought to be. "The risks of solar geoengineering are poorly understood and can never be fully known," dozens of scientists wrote in an open letter to governments last year, imploring them to prohibit the technology. David Keith, a professor of applied physics and public policy at Harvard University, recognizes the very many real concerns of geoengineering. Harvard scientists intend to block out the sun's rays from earth as a way to help stave off climate change. Bill Gates Is Thinking About Dimming the Sun Geoengineering is the term for technologies that try to alter Earth's physical qualities on the largest scale possible. Widespread use of technology that dims natural sunlight to help fight climate change should only be used as a last resort, scientists have warned. Gates did not personally hatch a plan, nor is he or anyone scheming to block out the sun. The claim first surfaced in 2021 and has been previously debunked. The claim gained traction in mid-February as residents in the state of Texas faced deadly winter storms but continued to circulate on the social network this week. Despite the concern, Keutsch is leading a project to study such technology, which could start later this year. Scientists have postponed the billionaire-backed study of the controversial technology called solar geoengineering. The science has spoken. If given the go-ahead, the experiment could take place in June, 2021, from the Esrange Space Center in Kiruna, Sweden. The Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) released a . A small amount of material is then released to create a "perturbed air mass" about 100 yards wide and a half-mile long. District of Columbia Advertisement - story continues below Now, apparently, he wants to save us from the sun. Microsoft founder Bill Gates delivers a speech at the conference of Global Fund to Fight HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria on October 10, 2019, in France. Never far away from a plot to destroy, control and profiteer, since early last year Bill Gates and other private donors have funded Harvard University's Solar Geoengineering Research Program, SCoPEx, to study effective ways to block sunlight from reaching Earth's surface. "Decision-makers and the public they serve need balanced information about the effectiveness and risks of geoengineering," he wrote in that editorial. "One example is cloud seeding, where airplanes flush clouds with particulate matter in order to coalesce into rain.". Scientists have devised multiple ways to block sunlight from reaching Earths atmosphere or surface. A small amount of the substance, between 100g to 2kg, will be released to create an air mass roughly one kilometer long and one hundred meters in diameter. Fluoride.. A controversial, Bill Gates-backed sun-blocking experiment has been postponed for ethical reasons. ", Ultimately, Keith said that more study was needed, writing: "It would be crazy to start deploying solar geoengineering today. But harmless only goes so farthe repercussions of solar geoengineering arent necessarily found in the material released, but in the unexpected effects of mixing ingredients into the stratosphere. SCoPEx is partly funded through FICER and partly funded by Harvard's Solar Geoengineering Research Program, which itself is funded by a number of foundations and other private donors, including Gates. Franklin Jacome/Agencia Press South/Getty Images, lists Bill Gates as one of its philanthropic donors, Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. In late December 2020, reacting to reporting from Reuters, the Western Journal published a story titled "Bill Gates' Savior Complex Spirals Out of Control, Funds Sun-Dimming Plan To Save the Human Race." A review is ongoing to determine if the proposed balloon launch alongside the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) can go ahead. The name of the project is SCoPEx, or, Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment . This is our End Times News Update for the week of Friday February 3rd, 2023. Gates, who dropped out of Harvard in 1975 to co-found Microsoft, has provided funding to the university for climate research since 2007. The launch will not release any stratospheric aerosols. Although . The data could improve the ability of computer models to predict how large-scale geoengineering may possibly disrupt out planet's ozone, the Harvard scientists explained. Its driven, in part, by a well-intentioned sense of caution that solar geoengineering will weaken efforts to cut carbon emissions. El atacante en Uvalde, Texas estaba en Estados Unidos ilegalmente. The arguments underlying these concerns are outside the scope of this article, but a central feature of misinformed reporting on SCoPEx involves conflating scientists' or activists' views on solar radiation management in general with fears about SCoPEx specifically. New Findings Warn Earth Could Break Key Warming Barrier In 2033, Should Climate Scientists Stop Doing Research? Daily Star, "Bill Gates hatches 'horribly stupid' plan to block out the Sun - just like Mr Burns," Feb. 21, 2022, David Keiths Research Group, "Fund for Innovative Climate and Energy Research," accessed Feb. 25, 2022, Harvards Solar Geoengineering Research Program, "Funding," accessed Feb. 25, 2022, Keutsch Group at Harvard, "SCoPEx," accessed Feb. 25, 2022, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, "New Report Says U.S. Should Cautiously Pursue Solar Geoengineering Research to Better Understand Options for Responding to Climate Change Risks," March 25, 2021, Natural Resources Defense Council, "The Dept. stated on March 3, 2023 in a Conservative Political Action Conference speech: stated on February 19, 2023 in a Facebook post: stated on February 24, 2023 in an Instagram post: stated on March 2, 2023 in a speech at CPAC: stated on February 25, 2023 in a Facebook post: stated on February 22, 2023 in a Facebook post: stated on February 26, 2023 in an Instagram post: stated on February 27, 2023 in a Facebook post: All Rights Reserved Poynter Institute 2020, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Harvard researchers proposed a small-scale experiment that would spray aerosols into the atmosphere to reflect some sunlight back into space, a technology aimed at minimizing global warming. Widespread research into the efficacy of solar geoengineering has been stalled for years due to controversy. An article headline says, "Bill Gates hatches 'horribly stupid' plan to block out the sun.". Weitere Informationen ber die Verwendung Ihrer personenbezogenen Daten finden Sie in unserer Datenschutzerklrung und unserer Cookie-Richtlinie. The first takeoff would not release aerosols into the skies, however. Gear-obsessed editors choose every product we review. There is documentation of bull sharks in the Great Lakes. Bill Gates's PR companies are again reporting on a UN study that is pushing for atmospheric modification to block the sun. SATAN 202333Rhoda Wilson 9 One example is this April 8Facebook post, which reads:"Let me get this straight. Billionaire philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is no stranger to conspiracy theories and speculation about the projects he funds. These models, the SCoPEx website explains, "are the primary tool for estimating the risks and benefits of solar geoengineering." SCoPEx said its ongoing experiment aims to improve computer models of solar geoengineering by obtaining some real-world data about how chemicals react in the skies. And its not just academics who object to the concept and practice of solar geoengineering. Both need to be studied, and likely more. Bill Gates backs climate scientists lobbying for large-scale geoengineering Other wealthy individuals have also funded a series of reports into the future use of technologies to geoengineer. The meteor strike that might have killed the dinosaurs blanketed the Earth in a layer of aerosol dust. Gates argument, as described during a 2010 TED Talk, is that humanity should not be in a position, if global warming gets bad enough that geoengineering needs to be taken seriously, where we do not have the research to fully understand the mechanics of that solution: If you get into that situation, it's like if you've been overeating, and you're about to have a heart attack. The world's richest man has provided at least $4.5 million of his own money over 3 years for the study of methods that could alter the stratosphere to reflect solar energy, techniques to filter carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere, and brighten . Bill Gates, Harvard, To Begin Blocking Sun In Spring Of 2019. The project is supported in part by philanthropist Bill Gates through SEAS's Solar Geoengineering Research Program. This content is imported from poll. The small-scale experiment is "to test the risks and efficacy" of solar radiation management, the researchers said, and to gather information that cannot be obtained through computer modeling and lab work. One goal of the project has always been to explore the real implications of this technology before we need it, because its never a good idea to launch an untested mechanism at a time of crisis. In a December 2020 Boston Globe editorial, he wrote: Why the sharp divergence between media and science? You may need heart surgery or something. The project originally was scheduled to have a test flight in Sweden in June 2021, but a Harvard advisory committee delayed it until at least 2022 in order to study potential impacts. In June 2021, some 30 groups of indigenous peoples from around the world called on Harvard University to abandon the Gates-backed plans to test its solar geoengineering tech with the help of the Swedish Space Corporation. The most the experiment would seek to do is release two kilograms (4.4 pounds) of non-toxic dust from a weather balloon 12 miles high in the sky. Carbon capture, where emissions are taken and sequestered beneath Earths surface, is another major form of geoengineering. Large scale use of the processknown as solar geoengineeringis a "terrifying" concept that is only likely to be used in the future if significant regions of the planet become too warm to be habitable, Harvard University Professor Frank Keutsch told The Times. Instruments carried by the balloon monitorthat region for changes inaerosol density, atmospheric chemistryand light scattering. radiation, lowering the Earth's temperature by 0.6 degrees Celsius (33.08 degrees Fahrenheit.) The perfect aerosol would not immediately tamper with stratospheric chemistry at all: The only thing it would do is scatter maximum sunlight and hence cool down the planet.. . MSFT Pinatubo eruption in 1991 , which temporarily cooled our planet by 0.5 degrees C. Washington, DC His grant-making research fund, the Fund for Innovative Climate and Energy Research, partially finances the project. Alex Kasprak is an investigative journalist and science writer reporting on scientific misinformation, online fraud, and financial crime. "People are right to fear over-reliance on technofixes. "It is not a test of solar geoengineering per se," the SCoPEx website says on its website. For one thing, the methods could have unintended consequences on global weather patterns. Bill Gates and Harvard want scientists to study solar geoengineering. .css-v1xtj3{display:block;font-family:FreightSansW01,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-weight:100;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-v1xtj3:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-v1xtj3{font-size:1.1387rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:0.625rem;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-v1xtj3{line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.css-v1xtj3{font-size:1.18581rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.5rem;margin-top:0rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-v1xtj3{font-size:1.23488rem;line-height:1.2;margin-top:0.9375rem;}}USAF's Reactor Creates Jet Fuel Out of Water, Air, Ring Lasers Can Allow Time Travel, Scientist Says, Mystery on Easter Island: More Moai Found in Lake, Ironton Found: Solving An 1894 Shipwreck Mystery, Scientists Discovered a Highly Reactive Superacid, 60 Scientists Are Trying to Block the Sun. Anyone new to solar panels should start with a good kit, like this one by Renology. Bill Gates wants to spray millions of tonnes of dust into the stratosphere to stop global warming but critics fear it could trigger calamity, The world needs to explore solar geoengineering as a tool to fight climate change, SCoPEx: Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment, Stratospheric controlled perturbation experiment:a small-scale experiment toimprove understanding of therisks of solar geoengineering, Claims that Bill Gates is going to block the sun lack context, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. SCoPEx is partially funded by Harvard's own Solar Geoengineering Research Program (SGRP), which lists Gates as one of its many philanthropic donors. It is, however, a mischaracterization to suggest that SCoPEx seeks to test geoengineering per se, that a geoengineered world is a desired outcome for the people involved in the project, or that SCoPEx itself could disturb the global climate system. ". The ultimate point of SCoPEx project is not to dim anything scientists do not need to test whether aerosols block sunlight, that fact is already well established but instead to release a small amount of the calcium carbonate (no more than 4.4 pounds) into the wake of a propeller-driven weather balloon flying 12 miles above the arctic, creating a diffuse cloud that is roughly 1000 yards long and 100 yards in diameter. Bill Gates is working on a way to block the sun's rays so we prevent global warming. The stated goal of SCoPEx, as described on the project website, is the collection of data regarding the microphysics of aerosols in the upper atmosphere so that computer models analyzing geoengineering can be as accurate as possible: This experiment will help us learn more about the efficacy and risks of solar geoengineering. Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. One example is cloud seeding, where airplanes flush clouds with particulate matter in order to coalesce into rain. In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts. Some people say you shouldn't even work on the insurance policy because it might make you lazy, that you'll keep eating because you know heart surgery will be there to save you. Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com, A project funded by Bill Gates "would help block out the sun. American journalist Jack Posobiec was arrested at World Economic Forum., The Uvalde, Texas, mass shooter was an illegal alien., Says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he wants Americas sons and daughters to go die in Ukraine., In Ohio, there are 75,000 acres of farmland, fertile farmland, that are all now being poured down with acid rain., Muslims by the millions are converting to Christianity.. These are gathered under the umbrella term solar geoengineering. The most common and studied method is to reflect sunlight away from Earth using aerosol particles in the atmosphere, but until now, this has been seen as more of a fringe idea. She's also an enthusiast of just about everything. To do so, scientists need to determine whether there are aerosols that could reduce or eliminate ozone loss without increasing the chance of other risks. Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates has been supporting a wide array of research on geoengineering since 2007, ScienceInsider has learned. "We are not, for example, testing whether it's possible to scatter sunlight back to space, because there is no meaningful scientific uncertainty about that question.". In other words, it's a very small-scale project, far from the climate-altering claims about it that have surfaced on social media. Despite simmering on the internet in recent weeks, Google Trends data suggested that people are still searching for answers. It sounds very much like the plot of one science fiction movie in particularnamely Bong Joon-hos 2013 film Snowpiercer, in which scientists release aerosols into the sky in a desperate bid to stop rampant global warming. Never far away from a plot to destroy, control and profiteer, since early last year Bill Gates and other private donors have funded Harvard University's Solar Geoengineering Research Program, SCoPEx, to study effective ways to block sunlight from reaching Earth's surface. Keith, who manages a multimillion dollar geoengineering research fund provided by Microsoft founder Bill Gates, previously commissioned a study by a US aerospace company that made the case for the . . British scientists have cited stratospheric aerosols from volcanic eruptions in Alaska and Mexico as the potential cause of drought in Africas Sahel region. ", USDA is predicting egg prices will be $12 a dozen by fall 2022.. We may earn commission if you buy from a link. This one is easy to take on-the-go with you if you're camping, and easy to store if you're using it at home in case of a power outage. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has funded a project to study such a technology. According to the team, the design for future SCoPEx flights required a balloon that can fly a 600 kg payload close to an altitude of 12 miles. After Reuters reported on the effort in December 2020, the conservative Western Journal published a piecetitled "Bill Gates' Savior Complex Spirals Out of Control, Funds Sun-Dimming Plan To Save the Human Race," in which the writer portrays the project as a threat to humanity. As we see tha. Bill Gates' Savior Complex Spirals Out of Control, Funds Sun-Dimming Plan To Save the Human Race, says concerns like these are not supported by science, Fact check: Bill Gates is not planning to microchip the world through a COVID-19 vaccine, Planned Harvard balloon test in Sweden stirs solar geoengineering unease, Bill Gates' Savior Complex Spirals Out of Control, Funds Sun-Dimming Plan To Save the Human Race, Could dimming the sun save the Earth? Official govt docs expose Michelle Obamas 14 year history as a man., "Woody Harrelsons 60 seconds in the middle of his monologue was cut out of the edits released after the show., BREAKING Trump preps Marines to stop presidential coup.. Why Trust Us? SCoPEx will take a small step in its early research this June near the town of Kiruna, Sweden, where the Swedish Space Corporation has agreed to help launch a balloon carrying scientific equipment 12 miles (20 km) high. Gates and other private donors are supporting Harvard Universitys Solar Geoengineering Research Program, which had planned to launch a new study based in Sweden in June researching the efficacy of blocking sunlight from reaching Earths surface. Rather, the project seeks to understand the potential risks of geoengineering. The ultra-rich are on a mission to Show more . We should also note Gates' involvement in the SCoPEx project is purely financial. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Researcher Chris Field writes: Chapters in the report include the role of philanthropists like Gates, the goals of preparing future political decisionmakers, and the state of existing research about solar geoengineering. Bill Gates has provided undisclosed amounts of funding to academic research into solar geoengineering research, which in turn helps to fund the SCoPEx project. This will likely postpone the platform launch until 2022, the committee said. We need your help. The conservative news website The Western Journal reported in December last year that Gates' plan for the project included "blotting out the sun to make the world cooler," citing a Reuters report about the scientists applying for a test flight experiment in June 2021. The Western Journals reporting, and other claims in its vein, reference or combine a December 2020 Reuters story with elements of a scientifically confused profile of the SCoPEx project published in 2019 by the British tabloid Daily Mail. (April 22), The claim: Bill Gates is working to block the sun to prevent global warming. According to Snopes, SCoPEx is also financed by the Fund for Innovative Climate and Energy Research (FICER), a fund for research grants co-created by Gates in 2007. The article shared in the Facebook post also falsely claims that the experiment will "kick off in June." ", He wrote: "The obvious nightmare is that the future possibility of geoengineering slows efforts to stop emissions but that the technology turns out to be infeasible. Concerned groups want a clearer understanding of consequences before the launch. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Keutsch group planned its first test flight for June 2021, which would. They're capable of withstanding high winds and snow loads, they're anti-reflective, and extremely versatile. The World Economic Forum has its own police force. Its the instigating event of the 2013 film Snowpiercer, for example, where blocking sunlight has turned Earth into a lifeless ice ball. Such geoengineering . Outdoor experiments can provide in situ perspective that is impossible to obtain in the laboratory and SCoPEx can help us validate important model parameters that have yet to been tested against measurements. Klicken Sie auf Alle ablehnen, wenn Sie nicht mchten, dass wir und unsere Partner Cookies und personenbezogene Daten fr diese zustzlichen Zwecke verwenden. The experiment is funded in part through Harvards Solar Geoengineering Research Program, and Bill Gates is among the donors to that program. One that has persisted in recent weeks involves an experiment by a team of scientists at Harvard University, known as the Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment (SCoPEx), that is testing aerosols that might be relevant to solar geoengineering. Bill Gates Is Thinking About Dimming the Sun In late 2022, the startup Make Sunsets announced that it was injecting small amounts of aerosols into the stratosphere as an experiment in solar.