UK to Launch Solar Dimming Experiments in Effort to Curb Climate Crisis

 

The UK Government is preparing to approve a groundbreaking series of outdoor experiments aimed at dimming sunlight to slow global warming. Backed by £50 million in funding from Aria, the Government’s Advanced Research and Invention Agency, these experiments represent a significant step toward potentially deploying solar geoengineering to combat climate change.

 

Within weeks, Aria is expected to unveil a range of funded projects exploring various sunlight reflection techniques. These may include injecting aerosols into the atmosphere or brightening clouds over the ocean to reflect more sunlight away from Earth. Such strategies fall under the umbrella of Sunlight Reflection Methods (SRM), which aim to prevent runaway climate change by artificially cooling the planet.

 

 

Prof Mark Symes, programme director for Aria, confirmed the agency’s cautious yet determined approach. “We will be announcing who we have given funding to in a few weeks and when we do so we will be making clear when any outdoor experiments might be taking place,” he said. “One of the missing pieces in this debate was physical data from the real world. Models can only tell us so much.”

 

Symes emphasized that safety and environmental responsibility are central to the planned trials. “Everything we do is going to be safe by design. We’re absolutely committed to responsible research, including responsible outdoor research,” he said. “We have strong requirements around the length of time experiments can run for and their reversibility and we won’t be funding the release of any toxic substances to the environment.”

 

While solar geoengineering has long been a contentious topic, it is gaining traction as scientists grow increasingly alarmed that carbon dioxide reductions alone may not be enough to avert catastrophic climate shifts. Critics have voiced concerns that such interventions might produce unintended side effects and serve as a distraction from efforts to cut emissions. Nonetheless, many experts argue that further research is essential given the urgent nature of the climate crisis.

 

One of the most discussed techniques is Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI), in which fine particles are released into the stratosphere to reflect sunlight. Another is Marine Cloud Brightening (MCB), which involves spraying sea salt particles into the air to increase the reflectivity of low-lying clouds. The science behind MCB is grounded in decades of atmospheric observation.

 

Prof Jim Haywood, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Exeter, explained, “If you inject small particles into clouds you can brighten them hence reflecting more sunlight back out to space.” He added, “How do we know this could work? Well there are a couple of very strong pieces of evidence. Ship emissions from the smoke stack into the marine environment lead to bright lines in clouds over the ocean. Then there was a volcanic eruption in Iceland in 2014 which spilled out a lot of sulphur dioxide. What this does is it brightens clouds and cools the planet. What we need to do is some form of field experiments.”

 

Beyond brightening clouds, researchers are also investigating the potential of altering cirrus clouds, which typically trap heat in the atmosphere. By thinning these wispy high-altitude clouds, scientists hope to allow more heat to escape into space.

 

Dr Sebastian Eastham, senior lecturer in Sustainable Aviation at Imperial College London, noted, “Every time you fly, sulphur, which is naturally present in jet fuel, is emitted into the lower most stratosphere causing a small cooling effect. Similarly, aircraft contrails cause accidental cirrus cloud modification but in this case accidentally causing, rather than preventing or thinning, cirrus clouds. This points to the fact that it’s theoretically possible (to cool the planet) with current day technology but there are many practical questions that would need to be answered before they could be done at scale.”

 

Alongside the outdoor experiments, Aria will also support modelling studies, lab-based tests, climate monitoring initiatives, and research into public perception of geoengineering. If successful, scientists hope these efforts could pave the way for scalable solutions within the next decade.

 

Adpated by ASEAN Now from The Telegraph  2025-04-24

 

 

Excellent...what could possibly go wrong ?

They can't stop a Dinghy, but they want to stop the sun. 😃

 

Failed state. 

As if a three-day summer wasn't short enough already. 

“Every time you fly, sulphur, which is naturally present in jet fuel, is emitted into the lower most stratosphere causing a small cooling effect."

Huh? Thought we weren't meant to fly these days, but maybe sail 😅

5 minutes ago, Donga said:

“Every time you fly, sulphur, which is naturally present in jet fuel, is emitted into the lower most stratosphere causing a small cooling effect."

Huh? Thought we weren't meant to fly these days, but maybe sail 😅

Fly more.

13 minutes ago, Donga said:

“Every time you fly, sulphur, which is naturally present in jet fuel, is emitted into the lower most stratosphere causing a small cooling effect."

Huh? Thought we weren't meant to fly these days, but maybe sail 😅

You can't fly but Bezos can send his gf into space for 11 minutes.

1 rule for the rich, another for everyone else.

1 hour ago, Social Media said:

Beyond brightening clouds, researchers are also investigating the potential of altering cirrus clouds, which typically trap heat in the atmosphere. By thinning these wispy high-altitude clouds, scientists hope to allow more heat to escape into space.

 

Oops ....... Ice Age.

6 minutes ago, Donga said:

“Every time you fly, sulphur, which is naturally present in jet fuel, is emitted into the lower most stratosphere causing a small cooling effect."

Huh? Thought we weren't meant to fly these days, but maybe sail 😅

 

Clearly this cooling effect is only present in the flights of wealthy virtue signalling celebrities.

 

When the plebs do it, it brings Doomsday one step closer. 

 

 

Leave the climate alone, it's doing it's thing, no amount of Tax or Geoengineering will change it - it will only annoy it!

I'm against any efforts like this. But if the UK does do this, they should make sure that whatever they do affects only the UK, not the rest of the world. They have no right to affect the sunlight in other countries. 😡

Just when you thought that they couldn't find more ridiculous ways of spaffing taxpayers money away the geniuses in the big top have come up with another one.   

1 hour ago, johng said:

Excellent...what could possibly go wrong ?

42 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

 

Clearly this cooling effect is only present in the flights of wealthy virtue signalling celebrities.

 

When the plebs do it, it brings Doomsday one step closer. 

 

 

Nothing tickles me more that Al Gore and Friends flying in private jets to Climate Catastrophe Events to preach to the commoners why they all should stop flying in order to "Save The Planet From Jet Caused Global Warming."  And give up your cars, your pets, and "eat the bugs."

So we have a tiny country the size of Michigan planning to unilaterally modify the entire world's climate.

 

Are you sure that's not the plot of Austin Powers 4 Maximum Evilness ?

This sounds like yet another good idea from UK scientists.

 

Put a face mask on the sun.

Wait till Musk reads about this. Am sure he will be able to help USA with this or any other country that will dish out taxpayer dollars for his consumption.

This is a bullshxxt psych job.

 

Geoengineering has been going on for decades, only before today if you pointed it out they gaslit you.

 

Goes well with their other 2030 narratives... own nothing, eat bugs, travel restrictions (coming) ... ad nauseum

29 minutes ago, impulse said:

So we have a tiny country the size of Michigan planning to unilaterally modify the entire world's climate.

 

Not only that, but they are destroying the standard of living of it's inhabitants in order to "achieve" it.

 

Complete Muppetry.

6 hours ago, Social Media said:

 

UK to Launch Solar Dimming Experiments in Effort to Curb Climate Crisis

 

The UK Government is preparing to approve a groundbreaking series of outdoor experiments aimed at dimming sunlight to slow global warming. Backed by £50 million in funding from Aria, the Government’s Advanced Research and Invention Agency, these experiments represent a significant step toward potentially deploying solar geoengineering to combat climate change.

 

Within weeks, Aria is expected to unveil a range of funded projects exploring various sunlight reflection techniques. These may include injecting aerosols into the atmosphere or brightening clouds over the ocean to reflect more sunlight away from Earth. Such strategies fall under the umbrella of Sunlight Reflection Methods (SRM), which aim to prevent runaway climate change by artificially cooling the planet.

 

 

Prof Mark Symes, programme director for Aria, confirmed the agency’s cautious yet determined approach. “We will be announcing who we have given funding to in a few weeks and when we do so we will be making clear when any outdoor experiments might be taking place,” he said. “One of the missing pieces in this debate was physical data from the real world. Models can only tell us so much.”

 

Symes emphasized that safety and environmental responsibility are central to the planned trials. “Everything we do is going to be safe by design. We’re absolutely committed to responsible research, including responsible outdoor research,” he said. “We have strong requirements around the length of time experiments can run for and their reversibility and we won’t be funding the release of any toxic substances to the environment.”

 

While solar geoengineering has long been a contentious topic, it is gaining traction as scientists grow increasingly alarmed that carbon dioxide reductions alone may not be enough to avert catastrophic climate shifts. Critics have voiced concerns that such interventions might produce unintended side effects and serve as a distraction from efforts to cut emissions. Nonetheless, many experts argue that further research is essential given the urgent nature of the climate crisis.

 

One of the most discussed techniques is Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI), in which fine particles are released into the stratosphere to reflect sunlight. Another is Marine Cloud Brightening (MCB), which involves spraying sea salt particles into the air to increase the reflectivity of low-lying clouds. The science behind MCB is grounded in decades of atmospheric observation.

 

Prof Jim Haywood, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Exeter, explained, “If you inject small particles into clouds you can brighten them hence reflecting more sunlight back out to space.” He added, “How do we know this could work? Well there are a couple of very strong pieces of evidence. Ship emissions from the smoke stack into the marine environment lead to bright lines in clouds over the ocean. Then there was a volcanic eruption in Iceland in 2014 which spilled out a lot of sulphur dioxide. What this does is it brightens clouds and cools the planet. What we need to do is some form of field experiments.”

 

Beyond brightening clouds, researchers are also investigating the potential of altering cirrus clouds, which typically trap heat in the atmosphere. By thinning these wispy high-altitude clouds, scientists hope to allow more heat to escape into space.

 

Dr Sebastian Eastham, senior lecturer in Sustainable Aviation at Imperial College London, noted, “Every time you fly, sulphur, which is naturally present in jet fuel, is emitted into the lower most stratosphere causing a small cooling effect. Similarly, aircraft contrails cause accidental cirrus cloud modification but in this case accidentally causing, rather than preventing or thinning, cirrus clouds. This points to the fact that it’s theoretically possible (to cool the planet) with current day technology but there are many practical questions that would need to be answered before they could be done at scale.”

 

Alongside the outdoor experiments, Aria will also support modelling studies, lab-based tests, climate monitoring initiatives, and research into public perception of geoengineering. If successful, scientists hope these efforts could pave the way for scalable solutions within the next decade.

 

Adpated by ASEAN Now from The Telegraph  2025-04-24

 

 

 

6 hours ago, Social Media said:

 

UK to Launch Solar Dimming Experiments in Effort to Curb Climate Crisis

 

The UK Government is preparing to approve a groundbreaking series of outdoor experiments aimed at dimming sunlight to slow global warming. Backed by £50 million in funding from Aria, the Government’s Advanced Research and Invention Agency, these experiments represent a significant step toward potentially deploying solar geoengineering to combat climate change.

 

Within weeks, Aria is expected to unveil a range of funded projects exploring various sunlight reflection techniques. These may include injecting aerosols into the atmosphere or brightening clouds over the ocean to reflect more sunlight away from Earth. Such strategies fall under the umbrella of Sunlight Reflection Methods (SRM), which aim to prevent runaway climate change by artificially cooling the planet.

 

 

Prof Mark Symes, programme director for Aria, confirmed the agency’s cautious yet determined approach. “We will be announcing who we have given funding to in a few weeks and when we do so we will be making clear when any outdoor experiments might be taking place,” he said. “One of the missing pieces in this debate was physical data from the real world. Models can only tell us so much.”

 

Symes emphasized that safety and environmental responsibility are central to the planned trials. “Everything we do is going to be safe by design. We’re absolutely committed to responsible research, including responsible outdoor research,” he said. “We have strong requirements around the length of time experiments can run for and their reversibility and we won’t be funding the release of any toxic substances to the environment.”

 

While solar geoengineering has long been a contentious topic, it is gaining traction as scientists grow increasingly alarmed that carbon dioxide reductions alone may not be enough to avert catastrophic climate shifts. Critics have voiced concerns that such interventions might produce unintended side effects and serve as a distraction from efforts to cut emissions. Nonetheless, many experts argue that further research is essential given the urgent nature of the climate crisis.

 

One of the most discussed techniques is Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI), in which fine particles are released into the stratosphere to reflect sunlight. Another is Marine Cloud Brightening (MCB), which involves spraying sea salt particles into the air to increase the reflectivity of low-lying clouds. The science behind MCB is grounded in decades of atmospheric observation.

 

Prof Jim Haywood, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Exeter, explained, “If you inject small particles into clouds you can brighten them hence reflecting more sunlight back out to space.” He added, “How do we know this could work? Well there are a couple of very strong pieces of evidence. Ship emissions from the smoke stack into the marine environment lead to bright lines in clouds over the ocean. Then there was a volcanic eruption in Iceland in 2014 which spilled out a lot of sulphur dioxide. What this does is it brightens clouds and cools the planet. What we need to do is some form of field experiments.”

 

Beyond brightening clouds, researchers are also investigating the potential of altering cirrus clouds, which typically trap heat in the atmosphere. By thinning these wispy high-altitude clouds, scientists hope to allow more heat to escape into space.

 

Dr Sebastian Eastham, senior lecturer in Sustainable Aviation at Imperial College London, noted, “Every time you fly, sulphur, which is naturally present in jet fuel, is emitted into the lower most stratosphere causing a small cooling effect. Similarly, aircraft contrails cause accidental cirrus cloud modification but in this case accidentally causing, rather than preventing or thinning, cirrus clouds. This points to the fact that it’s theoretically possible (to cool the planet) with current day technology but there are many practical questions that would need to be answered before they could be done at scale.”

 

Alongside the outdoor experiments, Aria will also support modelling studies, lab-based tests, climate monitoring initiatives, and research into public perception of geoengineering. If successful, scientists hope these efforts could pave the way for scalable solutions within the next decade.

 

Adpated by ASEAN Now from The Telegraph  2025-04-24

 

 

1st April was weeks ago, right?

7 hours ago, Social Media said:

One of the most discussed techniques is Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI), in which fine particles are released into the stratosphere to reflect sunlight

C'mon UK, even Thailand is ahead of you on this one. In LOS it's called Pollution 2.5. 😀

UK to Launch Solar Dimming Experiments in Effort to Curb Climate Crisis. 

 

Definitely a no no Don't pot any form of chemicals in the atmosphere Air we have to breath  the air is bad enough already.

Who is the smart ass that thinks that this is going to work/ not.

The UK is only a Small area  on the planet earth  .

So that little bit what they try to do  wouldn't have much of an impact on the world. 

 

The UK represents a very small percentage of the world's total area. The UK's land area is approximately 242,495 square kilometers (93,628 square miles). The total land area of the world is roughly 148,940,000 square kilometers. This means the UK occupies roughly 0.16% of the Earth's total land area

Ed's' wet dream by the looks squaff our cash and make UK energy the most expensive in the world 🤔

Immediete thought is Highlander 2.

8 hours ago, BritManToo said:

You can't fly but Bezos can send his gf into space for 11 minutes.

1 rule for the rich, another for everyone else.

Bezos has the money to buy himself a bit of peace and quiet!

I had to check my calendar reading this. Surprisingly, we're more than three weeks past April 1st already. 

11 hours ago, impulse said:

So we have a tiny country the size of Michigan planning to unilaterally modify the entire world's climate.

 

Are you sure that's not the plot of Austin Powers 4 Maximum Evilness ?

It’s an experiment.

 

Or did you miss that?

 

 

The UK is rapidly becoming the dumbest place in the western world.

3 minutes ago, Cryingdick said:

The UK is rapidly becoming the dumbest place in the western world.

Apart from the few square centimeters you occupy.

34 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Apart from the few square centimeters you occupy.

Why all the gloom and negativity did somebody dim your sunshine?