Articles 2020

As corporate interest in ocean carbon removal grows, researchers from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution are testing the safety and effectiveness of one such technique in the Gulf of Maine.

A team of researchers in California drew notoriety last year with an aborted experiment on a retired aircraft carrier that sought to test a machine for creating clouds.   But behind the scenes, they were planning a much larger and potentially riskier study of salt-water-spraying equipment that could eventually be used to dim the sun’s rays — a multimillion-dollar project aimed at producing clouds over a stretch of ocean larger than Puerto Rico.

The startup Gigablue announced with fanfare this year that it reached a historic milestone: selling 200,000 carbon credits to fund what it describes as a groundbreaking technology in the fight against climate change . But outside scientists frustrated by the lack of information released by the company say serious questions remain about whether Gigablue’s technology works as the company describes. Their questions showcase tensions in an industry built on little regulation and big promises — and a tantalizing chance to profit.

Why is the “direct-air-capture” pioneer Climeworks taking the drastic step to cut 20% of its global workforce?

Sarah Knapton Science Editor Sarah Knapton Related Topics Climate change, Sun, United Kingdom 22 April 2025 8:17pm BST Experiments to dim sunlight to fight global warming will be given the green light by the Government within weeks. Outdoor field trials which could include injecting aerosols into the atmosphere, or brightening clouds to reflect sunshine, are being considered by scientists as a way to prevent runaway climate change. Aria, the Government’s advanced research and invention funding agency, has set aside £50 million for projects, which will be announced in the coming weeks.

Injecting pollutants into the atmosphere to reflect the sun would be extremely dangerous, but the UK is funding field trials

Injecting pollutants into the atmosphere to reflect the sun would be extremely dangerous, but the UK is funding field trials

Firms are flocking to invest in geoengineering projects. Could such startups turn a profit by preventing climate peril? Luke Iseman is emboldened by all the criticism, personal attacks and negative press he has received. This article is guilty of feeding into that feedback loop — of lending some legitimacy to what he’s done. Many of the world’s atmospheric scientists will say this is dangerous, and they’re probably right.

The big question: Would climate engineering like sending reflective particles into the stratosphere or brightening clouds help reduce the national security risks of climate change or make them worse?

Techniques such as solar radiation management may have unintended consequences, scientists say

During the past decades, the idea of acting to counteract the damage done to the ecosystem by humankind's activities has moved along at least two planning stages.

Pie-in-the-sky fantasies of carbon capture and geoengineering are a way for decision-makers to delay taking real action

La start-up Neext Engineering s'est associée à Westinghouse, General Electric et au Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) pour porter son projet de petite centrale nucléaire destinée à la décarbonation de l'industrie, a-t-on appris mardi auprès des fondateurs.Créée à l'automne dernier à Belfort, Neext Engineering veut mettre au point de petits réacteurs nucléaires modulaires, connus sous le nom de SMR (small modular reactor) et qui équipent par exemple porte-avions et sous-marins nucléaires français.

Mexico announced this Tuesday a set of measures to ban solar geoengineering experiments in the country, after a US startup began releasing sulfur particles into the atmosphere in the northern state of Baja California.

The federal effort could set the stage for more studies into the feasibility, benefits and risks of one of the more controversial means of combating climate change.

Later this year, Egyptian engineering firm Arab Contractors is expected to complete the construction of the Julius Nyerere dam on the Rufiji River. Once completed, the $3 billion dam could be Africa’s fourth biggest by power production, producing up to 5920GWH of power annually, enabling Tanzania to close the gap between those with electricity and those who have no access.

Around the world, dozens of ingenious projects are trying to ‘trick’ the ocean into absorbing more CO2. But critics warn of unforeseen consequences

abs_empty