Company will not disclose what the aerosol is made of, raising informed consent worries.
Jon Fleetwood
Israeli-U.S. geoengineering company Stardust Solutions has announced a $60 million fundraising round for its efforts to block the sun by spraying particles into the atmosphere.
Stardust says they have created a powder that they promise “wouldn’t accumulate in humans or ecosystems, and can’t harm the ozone layer or create acid rain like the sulfur-rich particles from volcanoes.”
But it refuses to disclose what the particles are actually made of, rendering those promises meaningless without transparency, independent verification, or the public’s informed consent.
The startup will use the money to begin “controlled outdoor experiments” as soon as April, according to a POLITICO report that broke the news. “Those tests would release the company’s reflective particles inside a modified plane flying about 11 miles (18 kilometers) above sea level.”