Space Bubbles Might Buy Us Some Time – Citizens’ Climate Lobby

Editor’s Note: I’m normally not a fan of geo-engineering because it can have massive unintended consequences and avoids making the hard decisions. But here’s one — Space Bubbles — that looks feasible, cheap and fully reversible. There is much to debate/decide here, but buying a little time to make the transition might not be a bad idea.

Geoengineering – a set of emerging technologies that could manipulate the environment and partially offset some of the impacts of climate change. (Harvard Solar Geoengineering Research Program)

Space-based solutions would be safer – for instance, if we deflect 1.8% of incident solar radiation before it hits our planet, we could fully reverse today’s global warming. (Early, James T. “Space-based solar shield to offset greenhouse effect.” Journal of the British Interplanetary Society 42 (1989): 567-569)

Together, we can think radically to solve the worst case scenario.

Would you like to share your ideas? Contact us at
space-bubbles@mit.edu

Principal
Investigators

Carlo Ratti
MIT Senseable City Laboratory

Charles Primmerman
MIT Lincoln Laboratory

Daniela Rus
MIT Computer Science and
Artificial Intelligence Lab

Gareth McKinley
MIT Mechanical Engineering

Markus Buehler
MIT Mechanical Engineering
Civil and Environmental Engineering

Paulo Lozano
MIT Space Propulsion Laboratory

Researchers

Fabio Duarte
MIT Senseable City Laboratory

Nikita Klimenko
MIT Senseable City Laboratory