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By Keely Savoie Sexton 

The idea of artificially dimming the sun to control the climate has been the stuff of dystopian fantasy for decades, if not eons, but the idea has a basis in reality. With the release of a report from the , the United States recently inched closer to bringing it to fruition. 

There is sound science behind the idea of using reflective chemicals to filter out a portion of the sun’s radiation, thereby potentially mitigating the effects of greenhouse gases. However, in addition to the unknown scientific, cultural and social effects of such a move, no international law currently governs solar geoengineering. 

Kevin Surprise, visiting lecturer in environmental studies, is leery of the “U.S.-first effort,” as he referred to American efforts in a recent article in HuffPost. Surprise also spoke to  on the topic.

“Given the way world politics are structured and ongoing geopolitical tensions, it’s a really risky gamble for the U.S. to say we’re pushing forward with this, we’re heavily invested, and we’re doing this without international consultation,” he said.

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