Scientists contemplate spraying diamond dust in the sky to counter global warming

Climate scientists have proposed different ways of countering global warming that has warmed the planet – for instance, pumping water-based sulphate spray into the sky to reflect and scatter the Sun’s energy – but most have been highly debated. Now a team of researchers from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, have suggested that a safer way of dealing with global warming would be to use dusts of solid, nanometre-sized particles of diamond or aluminum oxide as it would be less damaging to the atmosphere. Using sulphates cause the production of sulphuric acid, which damages the ozone layer. According to the team, diamonds do not lead to these adverse effects. However, this solution has met with criticism because apart from the fact that using diamond dust would be extremely expensive, both alumina and diamond nanoparticles carry unknown risks as they have not been well-studied. In-depth research is required to evaluate the best solution for safeguarding the planet from warming.

Read more in Nature.