HACKER Q&A
📣 codingclaws

How much can reflection of sunlight help with climate change?


Couldn't we put a bunch of relatively small satellites into orbit that reflect sunlight away from the earth?



👤 cromulent
See also sulphur such as this discussion:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37008034

And also YC linked Make Sunsets:

https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/12/24/1066041/a-startu...

And of course the excellent novel Termination Shock:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Termination_Shock_(novel)


👤 avmich
See also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_shade . An obstacle to sunlight which diverts some percentage of the light away from Earth could cool the planet, but this is a delicate and expensive operation.

I'd think at the stage we have all different ways should be considered. Maybe there are others obviously better approaches.



👤 AK42
Biden is looking at a much simpler approach - already in place by volcanic eruptions.

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/07/01/white-house-cautiou...