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Some scientists and researchers have suggested the use of controlled and sustained releases of aerosols into the stratosphere, known as stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI), as a form of climate change adaptation in response to rapidly rising global temperatures.

Taking inspiration from the measurable cooling effects of volcanic eruption aerosol injection, some scientists have suggested using controlled and sustained releases of aerosols into the stratosphere as a method of combating climate change. The thinking is that these aerosols would increase the Earth's albedo by scattering incoming sunlight, thereby reducing the amount of solar radiation that reaches the Earth's surface 1 2.

Footnotes​

  1. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2021). Reflecting sunlight: Recommendations for solar geoengineering research and research governance. The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25762 ↩

  2. Crutzen, P. J. (2006). Albedo enhancement by stratospheric sulfur injections: A contribution to resolve a policy dilemma? Climatic Change, 77(3-4), 211-220. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-006-9101-y ↩