Although launching a dust cloud from the moon to block sunlight from reaching Earth could slow global warming, such a plan might take more than ten years to develop. Additionally, it is uncertain how such a strategy may affect agriculture, ecosystems, and water quality in various parts of the world. Previous attempts to mitigate climate change have involved putting more than 100 million tonnes of dust between Earth and the sun to partially block light from reaching our planet. By absorbing light energy or dispersing photons—light particles—away from Earth, such dust particles would provide shade for the world.
This would require placing the dust 1.5 million kilometres away from Earth, where the gravitational attraction of the sun and our planet cancel each other out. The first Lagrange point, or L1, is where things remain stationary. However, energy from photons and charged particles expelled from the sun, known as the solar wind, might gradually move dust away from its ideal position, necessitating correction. Various research groups have investigated depositing dust near L1.
According to the source, There would also likely be errors in the launch and dispersion of the dust, which could have unintended consequences:
Scientists believe moon dust could be used to protect the Earth from climate change.
Find out more at https://t.co/tmWr7pLTos 🚀
Do you think lunar dust can protect us from climate change? – – Scientists believe moon dust could be used to protect the Earth from climate cha…
— 👉Łukasz Dziewięcki👌 (@ldziewiecki) February 10, 2023
Benjamin Bromley of the University of Utah and his colleagues have discovered that blasting a stream of lunar dust continually from the moon’s north pole towards L1 at a pace of 2.8 kilometres per second may be a better strategy after running countless computer simulations. According to the models, in this case, each pushed dust particle blocks Earth-bound sunlight for around five days before dispersing throughout the solar system. You can also like to read about Goffin Cockatoos Are Capable Of Carrying Out Tasks Using A Toolkit.
The simulations revealed that maintaining a dust shield with a mass of 1 million tonnes near L1 for a year could reduce sunlight across Earth by 1.8%, which is equivalent to completely blocking six days of sunlight, taking into account the gravitational pull of the sun, Earth, and other planets as well as non-gravitational forces like the solar wind.
2024 Might Be The First Year We Surpass 1.5°c Of Warming Due To A Strong El Nio
According to Ben Kravitz at Indiana University, Bloomington, if the strategy were maintained indefinitely or until more steps were taken to remove carbon dioxide from Earth’s atmosphere, this may counteract the rise in carbon dioxide levels that has happened since the industrial revolution. It’s difficult to say if this approach would be worthwhile given the time and resources required, he adds, but if it were to work, it would undoubtedly be effective at lowering the world temperature. 
Although the models didn’t include machinery to propel the lunar dust into L1, Bromley suggests using a railgun, which moves objects using electromagnetic radiation. He claims this would be ideal since it could be powered by a few square kilometres of solar panels close to the launch point. Kravitz argues that darkening the entire planet would have varied results in various parts of the world. “This method will modify [temperature, precipitation, winds, and many other things], and they will vary differently in different regions,” he claims. Of course, those changes will impact agriculture, ecology, and water quality. You can also consider A Sunspot Breaking Off And Generating A Vortex.
According to Curtis Struck from Iowa State University, extensive engineering studies must be conducted by numerous organisations in various nations and with consideration from the United Nations before a scheme like this can be put into practice. There would also likely be errors in the launch and dispersion of the dust, which could have unintended consequences. Would there be increased micrometeorite impacts on Earth and harm to satellites in orbit? asks Struck. “This and many other questions have not been thoroughly studied,”
Furthermore, we shouldn’t abandon our attempts to reduce carbon emissions on Earth in favour of considering this strategy. No matter what, adds Bromley, “we have to maintain reducing the greenhouse gases in our atmosphere.” We would gain more time with our dust shield solution.
FAQs
What Evidence Proves That Removing CO2 From The Atmosphere Will Cool The Earth?
The heat-trapping effect of CO2 has been known since the 19th century, and its experimental demonstration is a routine experiment for students. That’s not the only evidence but the most direct one. Adding CO2 to the atmosphere has warmed the planet, which has surprised not a single climate scientist. So not adding CO2 would stop global warming. Actively removing CO2 from the atmosphere at the global scale is more like a pipe dream so far.
Can The Moon Ever Develop An Atmosphere Like The Earth?
Highly unlikely that open sky terraforming will ever be practically achievable on the moon. The Earth’s standard atmospheric pressure is 1 bar, which is 101,325pa. In the Earth’s gravitational field, that is the pressure exerted by the weight of the atmosphere, which has a column density of ~10,000 kg per square metre. Some three-quarters of that mass is nitrogen, with the balance being oxygen and rarer gases.
Stay up-to-date with the hottest news by hitting up Green Energy Analysis! Check it out and stay on top of the newest info.