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A vital examination of solar geoengineering—how it works, what it risks, how we might implement it—as a last-ditch effort to buy us time during this ever-heightening climate crisis
“It would be great if humanity could forego solar geoengineering and get climate change under control before the world goes off the rails. I just don’t believe in that anymore.”
Time is rapidly running out for humans to reduce the threats and impacts of climate change. Science journalist and award-winning author Thomas Ramge’s Dimming the Sun is his provocative, informative, and almost certain to be controversial exploration of the primary way he sees that we humans can—at least in the short term—ameliorate the worst effects of climate change. His focus is solar geoengineering: Through methods such as the atmospheric injection of sulfur aerosol, the formation of human-generated cirrus clouds, and the use of solar sails in space, solar geoengineering offers ways to slow the Earth’s warming caused by human-centered climate change. These ideas are as scientifically plausible as they are politically challenging.
Dimming the Sun is the first in-depth look at this critical technology. Ramge offers a complete overview, from scientific explanations to potential legal battles, and everywhere in between, including:
- What approaches could be used to dim the sun effectively and safely
- What risks—both geophysical and political—come with attempting to dim the sun
- How the international community might come together to agree on and regulate a plan for geoengineering
With clear language, tested science, and a calculated balance of realism and optimism, Dimming the Sun offers a crucial resource for understanding this growing branch of science, starting a vital conversation that could well have global consequences.
