George Soros Comes Out in Support of Geoengineering the Climate

Hey, it's better than nothing.

Bloody Sun-day

Billionaire philanthropist — and perennial right-wing target — George Soros has come out in support of solar geoengineering, a group of experimental technologies intended to dim the Sun and thus slow down the melting of polar ice caps.

As Fortune reports, Soros issued his call for investment in the controversial technology ahead of the Munich Security Conference, where he spoke this week.

And credit where credit's due, while there are many methods floating around the burgeoning field of solar geoengineering, the one Soros is backing seems to at the very least be more backed by environmental science than some others.

Albedo 'Bout It

In his prepared remarks that were published to his website, Soros notes that the Arctic Ocean "used to be covered by pristine snow and ice that reflected the sun in what is called the 'albedo effect,'" but rising global temperatures are such that the Greenland ice sheet has begun to melt.

Citing the royally-knighted British chemist David King, the billionaire proposed a process of "refreezing" the arctic via geoengineering: replicating the albedo effect "by creating white clouds high above the earth."

"With proper scientific safeguards and in consultation with local indigenous communities," Soros continued, "this project could help restabilize the Arctic climate system which governs the entire global climate system."

Billionaire Blues

The billionaire went on to warn that the melting of the Greenland ice sheet "poses a threat to the survival of our civilization" — a threat that he believes captains of industry and financial institutions can head off, if only they'd use some of their wealth to do it.

"We must reorient our international financial institutions, particularly the World Bank, to focus on climate change," Soros said in his speech.

As he pointed out, there's already been one small victory on that front: the resignation of the World Bank's climate-denying president, who announced that he was leaving the prestigious institution just a day prior to the Hungarian-American billionaire's remarks at the Munich Security Conference.

"The message is clear: human interference has destroyed a previously stable system," Soros said, "and human ingenuity, both local and international, will be needed to restore it."

More on geoengineering: Experts Fear Grim Repercussions of Geoengineering the Climate