The UK government's 56.8 million pounds (Rs 578 Crore) investment in geoengineering trials, specifically solar radiation management (SRM) to reflect sunlight and combat climate change, has triggered a surge of misinformation online, according to Euronews. Claims that the UK is secretly "dimming the sun" to control the population are false and linked to the debunked "chemtrails" conspiracy.
While the government will be testing sun-reflecting particles in the stratosphere, experts have stated that this can not be done in secret. They also noted that this is not to be confused with cloud seeding. SRM aims for long-term manipulation to create balance, whereas cloud seeding increases precipitation, as per the Euronews.
According to BBC, in a study published in Earth's Future, scientists at University College London show that SAI could be achieved using existing aircraft injecting aerosols at an altitude of 8 miles high instead.
To inject at this lower altitude, three times more aerosol would be needed to be as effective, and it would strongly increase side effects such as acid rain.
Public perception of such techniques is also going to be a challenge, primarily due to the widely known conspiracy theory of 'chemtrails'.
What's a Fact:
The UK government is funding geoengineering research to explore its potential in slowing global warming.
The experiments will study the feasibility of reflecting sunlight using particles in the stratosphere.
What's Fake:
Claims that the UK has been secretly conducting geoengineering experiments for years to control the population.
The "chemtrails" conspiracy theory, which suggests planes are spraying harmful chemicals over the public.
Experts emphasise that large-scale weather modification experiments cannot be conducted in secret, and the UK's research aims to provide crucial data on geoengineering's potential.
