Israeli tech company aiming to cool the Earth with masses of tiny particles |
An Israeli tech company has revealed the content of tiny particles it hopes will one day be used to combat global warming by scattering millions of tons of them into the atmosphere to reflect away sunlight, the New York Times reported Thursday.
Stardust Solutions had previously kept the makeup of its geoengineering particles a closely-guarded secret, protected with nondisclosure agreements.
As it turns out, they are made from amorphous silica, which is a food additive, and calcium carbonate, which is in eggshells and limestone.
The company, which is led by former figures from Israel’s nuclear program, on Thursday began publishing research papers on its product.
The idea is to disperse the particles at high altitude where they would reflect sunlight, cooling down the Earth.
“This is a very powerful tool that will be ready for testing very soon, and we want policymakers to start thinking seriously, ‘What will it take in practice?’” chief executive, Yanai Yedvab, told the Times.
So far, the company has only tested the particles in the laboratory and says it would not test them outdoors unless it were in partnership with a government to lay down the rules and limits of the test, according to the report.
Founded in 2023, Stardust Solutions has pulled in $75 million in funding from investors and has........