Researchers call for urgent exploration of methods to cool Earth

It is already obvious that some governments are not acting fast enough to keep the planet's temperature from rising dangerously. While it is essential to continue to concentrate on reducing methane and carbon dioxide emissions as quickly as possible, other methods of cooling the planet need to be urgently explored, according to academics at the University of Cambridge's engineering department.
One of the problems is that many of the ideas put forward so far, including injecting sulphates into the atmosphere to reflect sunlight back into space, could do more harm than good. This is because sulphates cause acid rain and interfere with rainfall patterns.
To avoid controversy researchers are experimenting with alternatives to sulphates, substances that reflect sunlight but are benign. They will hoist them into the stratosphere using weather balloons then recover them to see what changes this exposure causes. No materials will be released but their cooling effect and whether they could otherwise be harmless can be gauged.
Other ideas like drilling holes in the Arctic ice in the winter and pumping seawater over existing ice floes in below freezing air temperatures to thicken them are also being tried, along with spraying seawater to form clouds over the ocean, also to reflect sunlight. If these ideas are otherwise harmless, and work, they might yet save us.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

BreakingNews.ie

an hour ago

• BreakingNews.ie

28 Years Later review: Another relentless apocalyptic horror from Danny Boyle

Danny Boyle and Alex Garland have produced another horror masterpiece with 28 Years Later , the third instalment in the '28 Days' universe. The director and writer were not heavily involved in the followup, '28 Weeks Later', but they make a triumphant return in the new film. It is partly shot on iPhones, something introduced by Boyle with 28 Days later, and this contributes to the frantic and anxiety-inducing pace of the film as our new protagonisted go up against the infected. Advertisement This includes new additions to the creatures that were produced about the rage virus, including the terrifying 'alphas' who are able to effortlessly rip people's heads off. While the film is full of the action we saw in its two predecessors, Boyle and Garland manage to include a commentary on British society. With the rest of the world operating as normal as the 21st century rages on, Britain is quarantined to keep the infected from reaching the rest of the world, with navies patrolling its waters. In a remote island, survivors life a primitive but peaceful and safe existence, accessible to the foreboding 'mainland' only by a causeway only accessible when the tide recedes. Advertisement With Britain stuck in the past, it's hard to avoid the intended Brexit parable. This is only accentuated by Boyle's use of black and white World War footage, and a haunting score which includes 1903 poem " Boots " by Rudyard Kipling , recited by American actor Taylor Holmes. Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) brings his 12-year-old son Spike (Alfie Williams) to the mainland to get his first kills in an almost ritualistic expedition, against the advice of the communiy's elders who warn that Spike is far too young. Ralph Fiennes in 28 Years Later. The horrors they encounter leave a mark on father and son, but Spike is determined to return to seek a cure for his seriously ill mother Islan ( Jodie Comer ). This is where we once again enconter Dr Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes). A key character in the first film, Dr Kelson steals the show once again. His descent into madness, looking like Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse now, isn't quite what it seems, despite the temple of skulls he has amassed. The ending sets things up nicely for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, which is due for release in January 2026.

The Independent

2 hours ago

• The Independent

Revealed: The AI chatbot requests that cause the most carbon emissions

A new study reveals that every query to large language models like ChatGPT consumes energy and generates carbon emissions. Complex reasoning questions, such as those in abstract algebra or philosophy, lead to significantly higher carbon emissions, up to six times more than simpler queries. Models designed for explicit reasoning processes produce substantially more carbon dioxide, with some generating up to 50 times more emissions than concise response models. The study highlights an "accuracy-sustainability trade-off," where highly accurate AI models often result in greater energy consumption and carbon footprint. Researchers recommend that users reduce emissions by prompting AI for concise answers and reserving high-capacity models for tasks that genuinely require their advanced capabilities.

The Independent

2 hours ago

• The Independent

The simple test that could predict how long you will live

A new study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology explored whether a simple sitting-rising test could predict premature deaths. Researchers tested 4,282 adults aged 46-75 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 1998 to 2023, to evaluate non-aerobic physical fitness, including muscle strength, flexibility, and balance. The test required participants to sit and rise from the floor without using support from hands, elbows, or knees, with points deducted for any assistance or loss of balance. The study concluded that non-aerobic physical fitness, as assessed by this test, was a significant predictor of natural and cardiovascular mortality. After about 12 years, participants with a perfect 10 score had a 3.7 per cent death rate, while those scoring 0-4 points showed a dramatically higher death rate of 42.1 per cent.