You can learn even more about the StratoShield and the science behind it on our video, Climate Science page, Our Answers about Geoengineering and the StratoShield White Paper.
What is the StratoShield?
The StratoShield is one possible way to respond to a climate emergency in which greenhouse warming becomes intolerable. The StratoShield would reverse greenhouse warming by slightly reduc¬ing the amount of solar radiation that hits the Earth. The shield does this by increasing the amount of sulfur aerosols injected into the atmosphere by about 1%, a process that happens naturally whenever volcanoes erupt. The aerosols reflect incoming sunlight back into space. Although the change in sunlight would be imperceptible to human eyes—and probably beneficial for plants—it would have a substantial cooling effect for the part of the Earth under the shield.
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Because these are controversial areas of exploration, we are often misunderstood. We hope these clear statements will help us steer towards more scientific discussion.
1. What is geoengineering?
“Geoengineering” describes how the earth’s systems can be influenced by engineering solutions. There are many historic examples of how humans have used technology to change geological systems. From using fire to drive game to building irrigation for agriculture, seeding clouds during droughts, reversing the Chicago River to building the Hoover dam, the term can encompass all sorts of ideas. Today, options discussed often include large-scale engineering of the environment in order to combat or counteract the adverse effects of human-induced changes in the atmosphere and climate.
2. Why is Intellectual Ventures researching geoengineering technologies?
Intellectual Ventures looks at hard problems facing the world and brainstorms ideas and technologies that can lead to better solutions. Global warming is a very significant problem, but it won’t be solved with old ideas and old technology alone. We believe that the solution to this crisis will involve new ideas and new technologies.
Intellectual Ventures recognizes that the process of bringing new global warming ideas to the surface can be challenging and controversial. But as an invention company, we believe research needs to be done now, rather than after the full complications of global warming are upon us. Read more…
We’ve been working on some ideas related to climate change, as a kind of backup plan in case human effort to curb emissions don’t succeed fast enough to prevent devastating ecological damage. One of the ideas that has captured our imagination is replicating the way volcanoes have at times brought down the temperature of the planet by erupting sulfur dioxide particles up into the stratosphere. We’ve invented a “hose to the sky” we call the StratoShield, which is a comparatively cost effective way to do this. The invention is profiled in SuperFreakonomics and we’re hoping to have some scientific discussion about its potential.
HD quality m4v.
For the first time we’ve got some technical details to share publicly. Please take a look at this StratoShield White Paper if you’d like to know more.
“When you read the actual scientists’ reasoning for how [geoengineering] could work, and might need to work, it’s really hard not to come to the conclusion that it’s idiotic to discount it. Not to say it’s a slam dunk to do it, but idiotic to discount it entirely.”
A great quote from Stephen Dubner in this Guardian interview with him and Steven Levitt. We’re big fans of Freakonomics and delighted to have some of our climate science inventions featured in their upcoming sequel – Superfreakonomics. The new book is already starting to make some headlines even though it’s not due out until October 20.
Another U.K. paper, The Independent, also published a review that mentions our “hose-to-the-sky” concept. This is an idea for pumping sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere to cool the planet. The Independent calls it “the outer limits of freakonomics.”
We’ll post a lot more about our climate science projects soon.
