A small startup called Make Sunsets is launching balloons into the sky to cool the planet and the United States’ Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently looking into the business.
According to Make Sunsets, sulfur dioxide (SO₂), a gas that can reflect sunlight and marginally lower global temperatures, is released into the atmosphere through its balloons. This concept is part of the general category of solar geoengineering, which studies methods that change the amount of sunlight that reaches Earth. Although it raises significant concerns regarding public health, environmental ethics, and government regulation in practice, in theory it might help slow global warming.
What Make Sunsets did and why the EPA got involved
The company claims that it has already launched over 120 balloons, including over Mexico’s Baja California. They assert that every launch creates “cooling credits,” which they then offer for sale to people or businesses looking to reduce their carbon footprint. But the EPA wanted answers under the Clean Air Act. They are now examining where the gas comes from, the altitude at which it was released, and the precise launch locations.
The project was considered dangerous and reckless by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin. He warned that because SO₂ can result in respiratory issues, acid rain, and decreased visibility, it has been regulated since 1971. According to Zeldin, Make Sunsets “Climate extremism” may be damaging ecosystems and people by releasing it without permission.
The risks behind the idea
Science has long known that sulfur dioxide (SO₂) is a common industrial gas and a huge air pollutant that can cause lungs irritation and respiratory problems, especially in children, the elderly, and people with asthma. It can also produces acid rain, which damages forests, crops, and lakes.
That’s why Environmental groups like the Chesapeake Climate Action Network are pointing at Make Sunsets’ activities as reckless and a distraction instead of looking for practical climate solutions, like reducing emission and create renewable energy.
The inspiration behind Make Sunsets
Make Sunsets was inspired by a natural experiment. When the Pinatubo volcano erupted in 1991, tons of SO₂ were released into the atmosphere, reflecting sunlight and briefly cooling the planet by about 0.5°C. Researchers looked into related methods, known as stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI), a type of solar radiation modification (SRM), as a result of this incident.
However, these methods are debatable. The European Commission has called for a worldwide stop to solar geoengineering experiments until the risks are completely known. Scientists worry that modifying sunlight could disrupt the production of solar energy, damage agriculture, or change rainfall patterns.
Ethics, health, and what’s next
The Make Sunsets case brings up a challenging issue: who has the power to decide whether or not people are allowed to “touch” the atmosphere? Neither the EPA nor any other country currently has any clear laws regarding solar geoengineering. Meanwhile, private companies are taking matters into their own hands and putting their theories to the test in the sky.
The problem is that everyone owns the atmosphere. The actions of one company in one country can have an impact on people thousands of miles away. As a result, environmental ethics and public health are right now at the center of the conversation. The safety of these techniques is actually still up for debate in science. Furthermore, there is a worldwide risk of changing the climate without international agreement.
Even though it might seem like a good idea to cool the planet quickly and help the environment, responsibility comes before technology. Despite its potential, solar geoengineering carries unknown risks. Unfortunately for Make Sunsets, before launching more balloons into the sky, the whole situation needs to be review and approved.