‘Space Bubble’ Could Block Out Sun’s Rays As Last-Ditch Effort To Save Earth
A group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has been exploring the possibility of using a ‘space bubble’ to reflect the sun’s rays in an effort to mitigate climate change. Carlo Ratti, an architect working on the team, has helped bring the concept of a space bubble into practice.
A space bubble is an amalgamation of bubbles made from a thin film-like material that would be used as a barrier between Earth and the sun—the size of which would roughly be about as big as Brazil. These bubbles would be placed at the L1-Lagrangian point between Earth and the sun where the gravitational pulls between both are in counterbalance.
A successful experiment that saw the bubble—which is easily deployable and reversible—being released into space-like conditions has been achieved by the team at MIT. The idea was built upon the foundations of scientist James Early, who was the first person to suggest deploying a barrier to the Lagrangian point, and astronomer Roger Angel who put forward the idea of a bubble-raft.
Using shields to block out the sun’s rays is not a new idea; this form of geoengineering has time and time again been tried and tested. However, most solutions require it to be Earth-based, either on the ground with us or only going as high up as into the stratosphere, all of which come with their own set of risks.
Geoengineering also raises a moral problem as while it may be a good solution to this ever-present problem, governments and society also fear that it could direct people away from the efforts being made towards a sustainable future. MIT has stated that geoengineering is a last resort and will only be an addition to all the efforts already being made. It will not be a one-stop solution.
However, if we do reach a point where we can no longer reverse the climate effects on our planet, geoengineering and the space bubble may be humanity’s last hope.
