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As excess consumerism, travel, and the use of fossil fuels continues – the human species continues to do irreparable damage to the planet, which has encouraged scientists to find new ways to combat the negative effects of climate change – such as by reflecting sunlight back into space.
Reflecting sunlight back into space, otherwise known as Solar Radiation Management (SRM) or Solar Geoengineering, could possibly allow humans to mitigate the worst of the effects of climate change – but is it actually possible?
In this article, we’ll explain what reflecting sunlight back into space means, how it could be done, the pros and cons, and if reflecting sunlight back into space is worth the effort.
Reflecting sunlight back into space refers to the process of redirecting solar radiation by using an object or surface to bounce the light back towards outer space. Essentially, think of the reverse example for this – which is when people use mirrors to direct sunlight back towards the Earth to start a fire in the wilderness.
The process of redirecting sunlight back into space is more commonly known as Solar Radiation Modification (SRM) or Solar Geoengineering. Both of these processes involve using various objects or surfaces to deflect sunlight to increase the planet's albedo effect.
Reflecting sunlight back towards space is a new concept as the planet continues to warm, especially as the planet continues to achieve record-breaking temperatures. However, the Earth it is important to note that the Earth is able to naturally reflect some sunlight back towards space – such as through clouds or reflective surfaces like ice, water, and snow.
👉 As climate change persists, many people are starting to view reflecting sunlight as a mechanism to mitigate the effects of global warming – as it could possibly reduce the amount of solar energy the Earth absorbs.
There are several ways in which we can reflect sunlight back into space, such as with man-made cooling glass, stratospheric aerosol injection, or various reflector devices strategically situated in either the desert or outer space itself.
💡 However, it is important to note that there are natural ways for the Earth to reflect sunlight back into space on its own – such as with various airborne particles, thick clouds, and reflective surfaces such as ice and snow.
Here are some of the ways we could optimise the Earth’s efforts to reflect sunlight back into space:
👉 These various processes to reflect sunlight back into space have grown to be highly controversial, but proceeding with some of these tactics to reflect sunlight away from the Earth could prove beneficial in the interim in the midst of climate change.
Even without human interference, nearly 30% of sunlight is reflected back into space – which means that around 70% of incoming solar radiation is absorbed by our atmosphere and continues to contribute to rising surface temperatures around the globe.
In other words, if human activities weren’t contributing to the amount of greenhouse gas emissions they are now – the Earth wouldn’t be as overwhelmed to absorb 70% of the sunlight reflected towards the planet. It isn’t that the Earth wants to or should avoid the sun entirely, but more so that the planet is exacerbated by the increase in carbon intensive activities.
💡 Remember, even though the sun can prove harmful to the planet, or ecosystems, our skin health, and more – we still rely on the sun for several things. This is why it would be unwise to genetically engineer ways to redirect the vast majority of sunlight back towards space.
Here just a few of the reasons why we still need sunlight, even in the midst of global warming and rising surface temperatures:
👉 A major reason why reflecting sunlight away from the Earth is controversial is because genetically modifying these natural cycles of sunlight could create long-lasting negative effects on our ecosystems and future generations.
There is an ongoing debate on whether or not we should reflect sunlight back into space, seeing as many scientists and researchers argue that reflecting sunlight away from the Earth could prove more detrimental in the long-term – even if the short term benefits are plausible.
The potential benefits of Solar Radiation Modification could include:
However, there are also several cons to reflecting sunlight back into space, such as
👉 Ultimately, the pros of reflecting sunlight back to space would be short-term, but the cons of reflecting light back into space would be long-term – making the whole concept risky for the future in all aspects.
One of the main issues with the debate on whether to reflect sunlight back into space or not is that it continues to allow humans to believe we can compensate for our excessive activities, when in reality – we need to get to the root of the issue and make our daily lives more sustainable to emit less greenhouse gas and carbon dioxide emissions.
💡 The truth is, as a human species – we are not yet able to outsmart mother nature and predict the ways in which reflecting sunlight back to outer space will affect us in the long-term.
Even as the Biden administration continues to invest in mechanisms such as cloud brightening, we simply haven’t achieved the mental capacity to prepare for the worst case scenario in the event Solar Radiation Modification is to go awry.
Therefore, it is pivotal that as a society and planet – we find ways to reduce our environmental impact directly as opposed to trying to reverse the damage we’ve already done.
There are several other ways to prevent the Earth from absorbing too much sunlight besides resorting to the use of genetically modified mechanisms to deflect sunlight, such as:
All in all, we can absolutely reflect sunlight back into space – and if more research and money is invested into Solar Radiation Modification, reflecting sunlight back into space will only become more of a reality.
However, it is also important for us to remember that reflecting sunlight back into space shouldn’t be our primary way of fighting against climate change.
If reading this article about how we could reflect sunlight back into space has made you interested in reducing your carbon emissions to further fight against climate change – Greenly can help you!
At Greenly we can help you to assess your company’s carbon footprint, and then give you the tools you need to cut down on emissions. We offer a free demo for you to better understand our platform and all that it has to offer – including assistance with boosting supplier engagement, personalised assistance, and new ways to involve your employees.
Click here to learn more about Greenly and how we can help you reduce your carbon footprint.
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