Russell Brand A few decades ago, I read proposals about making synthetic volcanos to offset global warming by making non-nuclear winters.
It all looked really good to me. On paper and in simulation, it was perfect, if not better.
The problem was that we didn't have a test planet to try it out on first.
As a species, we humans have a terrible track record of encountering huge unexpected consequences. That makes this pretty scary and seemingly too dangerous to try.
When I read in Technology Review that Make Sunsets was launching balloons to do something similar. No oversight. No test planet. Not even much in the way of transparency.
Maybe it is a salvation for the world. Maybe it is the world's destruction. Very hard to know.
How should we decide whether it should be tried? Who should be involved in making such a decision?
Is this something to leave to market forces?
