--- title: "United States Attempting to Detect Other Countries Tinkering With the Climate" description: "Weather-changing projects are taking place all over the world — and the United States is building a system to detect them all." date: "2024-12-04" modified: "2024-12-04" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/us-climate-changing-tracking" categories: - "Climate Change" - "Environment" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "geoengineering" - "solar geoengineering" - "sun-dimming" - "the digest" --- # United States Attempting to Detect Other Countries Tinkering With the Climate ![Weather-changing projects are taking place all over the world — and the United States is building a system to detect them all.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Tracking Device Experiments to alter the climate are starting to [take place all over the world]() — to the degree that the United States is now building a system to detect when and where it's happening. As the [*New York Times* reports](), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Department of Energy are aiming to start tracking "[solar geoengineering]()" endeavors. There are [various concepts]() for how that might work, but the general idea is often to use some form of chemical aerosol, injected high up into the planet's stratosphere, to reflect sunlight back away from the Earth and reduce the effects — though not the underlying cause — of climate change. Many scientists are worried that these efforts, while well intended, could do more harm than good by causing destructive weather patterns or benefiting some countries more than others. As such, the NOAA is working to [strengthen its surveillance and recognition]() of these projects as [institutions]() and [individual groups]() are increasingly undertaking pilot tests of geoengineering concepts in [quests to "hack" the climate](). As a result, the agency's Chemical Sciences Laboratory has begun deploying large balloon "sentries" with equipment to detect aerosol levels in the clouds. Sent miles above the planet's surface, these balloons report back the locations and amounts of any unusual aerosol concentrations in the stratosphere so the NOAA can begin to track where geoengineering is taking place. ## Eye in the Sky While a [growing number of countries]() have [formally taken pledges]() not to do solar geoengineering, there are still some concerns that other nations or groups may [forge ahead with the untested technology]() or attempt to do these sorts of projects [in secret](). "If a country — a major ally, or a major opponent — is building up capabilities, can our scientists tell us what they’re trying to do, and what the impact of that would be?" asked Kelly Wanser, the founder of the nonprofit geoengineering watchdog group SilverLining, in an interview with the *NYT*. Along with trying to figure out what other countries are doing, the NOAA's forthcoming aerosol tracking program could also help its scientists learn more about the longer-term effects of these projects. As the paper notes, Laura Swiler, a senior scientist at New Mexico's Sandia National Laboratories — which works with the DOE — [developed an algorithm]() decades ago that can retroactively tell where a burst of aerosols was released and how big it was. Though it's traditionally been used to pinpoint the origins of naturally-occurring aerosol injections, such as volcano eruptions or wildfires, her tool can also predict what effects may come of aerosols that are introduced to the atmosphere intentionally. "The effect will possibly last months, and even maybe a couple of years, depending on how much aerosols they’re injecting," Swiler told the *NYT*. "Understanding what might happen two years hence — that is where we will have to rely on our modeling capabilities." In tandem, the scientist's aerosol algorithm and the NOAA's tracking balloons should be able to help the US figure out whether and where Sun-dimming efforts are happening — and, hopefully, to begin understanding what effects they'll have. More on geoengineering: [*Tech Bros Releasing Climate-Hacking Chemicals From "Stealth" RV*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()