New Study explores Diamond Dust as a potential Geoengineering Strategy for Cooling of Planet | Current Affairs | Vision IAS
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New Study explores Diamond Dust as a potential Geoengineering Strategy for Cooling of Planet

Posted 30 Oct 2024

2 min read

It proposes that spraying about 5 million tonnes of diamonds into Earth's upper atmosphere annually for 45 years could lower global temperatures by 1.6 °C.

Benefits of using diamond dust

  • Enhanced Properties: It reflects light and heat effectively, remains airborne longer, and is less likely to clump together in atmosphere
  • Safer Alternative: Unlike sulfur dioxide, which poses risks like acid rain and ozone depletion, diamond dust is chemically inert

What is Geoengineering /Climate Engineering ?

  • It is large-scale intervention in the Earth's climatic system, with an aim of reducing global warming. 
  • There are two main categories of geo-engineering:- 
    • Carbon Dioxide Removal: It reduces CO2 in the atmosphere by enhancing carbon sinks of the ocean/terrestrial biosphere or by directly capturing CO2 from the atmosphere.
      • Direct Air Carbon Capture and Storage (DACCS): uses chemical processes to capture and separate and then store CO2 directly from ambient air.
      • Ocean fertilization: Addition of nutrients(e.g iron) to enhance the growth of phytoplankton that remove CO2.
    • Solar Radiation Management : It offsets effects of greenhouse gases by causing  earth to absorb less solar radiation.
      • Stratospheric aerosol injection: Injecting reflective particles such as sulfate aerosols into the stratosphere to reflect incoming radiation
      • Marine cloud brightening: injection of salt spray into shallow marine clouds to brighten them, increasing their reflection of sunlight

Concerns associated with Geo-engineering technology

  • Undermine existing climate policies and divert funding from vital emission reduction and adaptation efforts.
  • High cost of developing and deploying these tools 
  • Initiation of a chain reaction with risks to human, oceans, global temperatures etc
  • Tags :
  • Solar Radiation Management
  • Carbon Dioxide Removal
  • Geo-engineering
  • Diamond dust
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