--- title: "Harvard Scientists to Release Sun-Dimming Sky Chemical in 2019" description: "In a first-of-its-kind experiment, researchers from Harvard are preparing to release the sun-dimming chemical calcium carbonate into the stratosphere." date: "2018-11-27" modified: "2018-11-27" authors: - name: "Jon Christian" job_title: "Executive Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc" url: "https://futurism.com/sun-dimming-sky-chemical-geoengineering" categories: - "Climate Change" - "Environment" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "calcium carbonate" - "climate change" - "geoengineering" - "Harvard" --- # Harvard Scientists to Release Sun-Dimming Sky Chemical in 2019 ![]() *\Image: anuj pathak/Victor Tangermann\* ## Sky Doctors A longstanding idea to fight the [catastrophic predicted effects of climate change]() is to release a compound into the stratosphere that would reflect some of the Sun's energy back into space. Last week, a new report estimated that a sunlight-dimming program could [cost as little]() as $2 billion dollars per year. Now, in a first-of-its-kind experiment, researchers from Harvard are [preparing to release]() calcium carbonate into the stratosphere in 2019 — a small-scale trial that could provide crucial data about the potential risks and rewards of a larger-scale geoengineering effort. ## Sun Blockers The Harvard experiment will operate at a tiny scale, [according to *Nature*](). The researchers will send a steerable balloon up into the stratosphere, where it'll release about 100 grams of calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate, which is the active ingredient in antacids, is a tempting candidate for geoengineering efforts because simulations show that it could stay in the air for years as it reflects sunlight. After releasing the calcium carbonate, the balloon will use a laser imaging system to watch how the particles disperse — data the researchers can use to model how larger quantities of the substance might behave. ## Stratos-Fear Critics say that geoengineering efforts are Band-Aid solutions that treat the symptoms of climate change instead of the cause: global carbon emissions. Jim Thomas, the co-executive director of an environmental advocacy organization called the ETC Group, told *Nature* that he fears the Harvard project could push the concept of geoengineering into the mainstream. But advocates say that anything that could buy some extra time in the face of looming climate catastrophe is worth exploring. "I’m studying a chemical substance," Harvard researcher Zhen Dai told *Nature*. “It’s not like it’s a nuclear bomb.” **READ MORE:** [First Sun-Dimming Experiment Will Test a Way to Cool Earth]() \[*Nature*\] **More on geoengineering: [Scientists Want to Fight Climate Change by Dimming the Sun]()** ## Author I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()