The World Economic Forum recently suggested that “space bubbles” could be used to block out the sun, and thus reduce global warming.
What are these “space bubbles”?
The bubbles, made of a thin plastic material, would be made directly in space and positioned at the Lagrange point L1, where the gravitational forces between the Earth and the sun cancel each other out. Concretely, it would be spheres with thin and frozen layers, themselves composed of networks of small interconnected inflatable bubbles, the whole forming a raft which would deflect the light of the sun.
Highlighting a study carried out by researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the institution explained that the project of “geo-engineering” aims to reflect some of the solar radiation back into space. By covering an area equivalent to that of Brazil, the system would not present “no risk” disruption of the planet’s ecosystems, as it would be deployed in space rather than in the atmosphere.
“Geoengineering could be our last and only option”, said Carlo Ratti, a researcher and architect at MIT, about the project. And to add: “Yet most geoengineering proposals are earth-bound, posing enormous risks to our living ecosystem. Space-based solutions would be safer – for example, if we deviate 1.8% of the incident solar radiation before it reaches our planet, we could completely reverse current global warming.”
A solution to global warming?
According to a press release from MIT, “This proposal answers many questions: How to design the best material for the bubbles to withstand the conditions of space? How to manufacture and deploy these bubbles in space? How to make the shield fully reversible? What are the potential effects to long term impact on the Earth’s ecosystem?
See also: Ecology: “We have the solutions and we all have a role to play” Christophe Doré
In his latest budget proposal, President Joe Biden suggested funding several climate technology initiatives. It has notably lent $3.2 billion to the Clean Technology Fund, which provides resources to developing countries “to scale low-carbon technologies with significant potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the long term”. In recent days, however, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) announced that he would refuse “unequivocal” support Democratic climate change legislation in future spending packages.
The World Economic Forum: a think tank powerful
The World Economic Forum, led by German economist Klaus Schwab since 1971, is an international non-governmental entity based in Geneva, Switzerland. The group hosts an annual summit that brings together business and government leaders to discuss approaches to the infamous “new world order”.
This forum and its leader are regularly singled out, particularly for the influence they exert on various leaders around the world. Klaus Schwab has also made people talk about him through his works, including “Covid-19 : The Great Reset”. He and his collaborators defend a particularly communitarian (but elitist) vision of the future: “The future is not an isolated phenomenon. The future is built by us, by a powerful community like you here in this room”he said at this year’s summit.
Read also: Harari and “the digital man of tomorrow”: the worrying projects of the Davos Forum