--- title: "Scientists Working on Plan to Cool Earth by Blocking Sun" description: "Scientists want to send a swarm of small umbrellas into space to block the Sun's warming ways from reaching the Earth's surface." date: "2024-02-03" modified: "2024-02-03" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-plan-cool-earth-blocking-sun" categories: - "Climate Change" - "Environment" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "climate change" - "global warming" - "Sun" - "the digest" --- # Scientists Working on Plan to Cool Earth by Blocking Sun ![Scientists want to send a swarm of small umbrellas into space to block the Sun's warming ways from reaching the Earth's surface.]() *\Image: Technion Israel Institute of Technology\* ## Giant Umbrella Scientists are exploring a wild idea to stop our planet from overheating: sending umbrellas into space to block the Sun's warming ways. And they're ready to put the idea to the test. As the [*New York Times* reports](), a team led by Asher Space Research Institute physics professor and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology director Yoram Rozen claims it's ready to build a prototype. But there's one big problem: the shield has to stretch an area of roughly one million square miles, or about the size of Argentina. Since that's far too big of a structure to launch into space on a single rocket, Rozen and his team are proposing a scheme in which a swarm of smaller shades are launched into space, where they'll work together. "We can show the world, 'Look, there is a working solution, take it, increase it to the necessary size,'" Rozen told the *NYT*. ## Casting Shade The idea has technically been around for [decades]() now. Instead of fully blocking out the Sun completely with a giant parasol, researchers have suggested we only need to block anywhere between one and two percent of our star's radiation to mitigate the effects of global warming. Last year, a team of scientists from Harvard and the University of Utah [explored the idea]() of placing dust at a "Lagrange point" between the Sun and the Earth to overcome climate change. A different team [suggested]() using an actual "umbrella" tethered to an asteroid to achieve the same effect. However, a sunshade would only be one part of the solution as the Earth's atmosphere would still be trapping heat in the form of greenhouse gas emissions. Not everybody is on board with the idea. Critics told the *NYT* that a sunshade would be incredibly cost-prohibitive and unrealistic, given the pace at which global warming is accelerating. That's not to mention the beating such a shade would have to be able to withstand while exposed in outer space. Proponents, on the other hand, argue we should leave no stone unturned in coming up with solutions to climate change. Rozen and his team are now looking to secure anywhere between $10 million and $20 million to build their prototype. "We at the Technion are not going to save the planet," he told the *NYT*. "But we’re going to show that it can be done." **More on geoengineering:** [*Climate Scientist Warns That Countries Are Going to Start Geoengineering the Earth*]() ## 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]()