--- title: "New Plan Suggests Re-Freezing Earth’s Poles by Spraying Chemicals With Huge Military Jets" description: "Scientists are proposing to unleash huge amounts of microscopic aerosol particles over the Earth's North and South Poles to slow down the melting ice caps." date: "2022-09-15" modified: "2022-09-15" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/refreezing-earth-poles-chemicals-military-jets" categories: - "Military" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "climate change" - "polar regions" - "solar geoengineering" - "the digest" --- # New Plan Suggests Re-Freezing Earth’s Poles by Spraying Chemicals With Huge Military Jets ![Scientists are proposing to unleash huge amounts of microscopic aerosol particles over the Earth's North and South Poles to slow down the melting ice caps.]() *\Image: Boeing/Getty Images/Futurism\* ## Climate Control A group of scientists propose unleashing huge amounts of microscopic aerosol chemicals from 125 massive military jets over the Earth's North and South Poles, in a desperate bid to refreeze the melting ice caps, [*Sky News* reports]() — a plan that's already proving highly controversial among experts. To make a sizeable dent in the accelerating decline in ice shelves, we'd have to fly roughly 175,000 flights of "high-flying spy planes and drones" every single year, according to a [recent study]() led by Yale University researcher Wake Smith. Those jets would themselves release copious amounts of carbon dioxide high up into the atmosphere, it's worth noting. But despite the harmful emissions, Smith claims it'd still be worthwhile. "It's aspirin, not penicillin," he told *Sky News*. "It's not a substitute for decarbonization." ## Aerosol Shade According to the plan, microscopic sulfur dioxide particles — that's the stuff you smell from a burnt match — would be released from 125 air-to-air refueling tankers flying at 43,000 feet over the planet's poles. These particles would then block some sunlight from the surface below, shielding the polar regions from the Sun's heat. According to [Smith's study](), just over 13 tons of particles released at just the right times of the year could cool the polar regions by an appreciable 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit. ## Vocal Critics Plans for solar geoengineering have been met with vocal opposition, with experts arguing that releasing harmful carbon dioxide emissions from planes flying at high altitudes is a terrible idea. They also say that solar shading could have unintended consequences, including negative effects on agricultural systems, according to *Sky News*. Last year, a group of Harvard researchers [suggested testing out a similar idea]() using weather balloons to gather preliminary data over northern Sweden. But even this early experiment proved to be too controversial, with local adversary groups [forcing them to abandon the idea](). But the polar regions, unlike northern Sweden, are only extremely sparsely populated, Smith argued. "If the risk-benefit equation were to pay off anywhere, it would be at the poles," Smith told *Sky News*. "Any intentional turning of the global thermostat would be of common interest to all of humanity." **READ MORE:** [Scientists propose controversial plan to refreeze North and South Poles by spraying sulphur dioxide into atmosphere]() \[*Sky News*\] **More on solar geoengineering:** *[Harvard Halts Plans for Controversial Geoengineering Experiment]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()