A quiet but ambitious effort to cool the Earth through cloud brightening geoengineering is facing intense public backlash after internal documents revealed plans for a massive, billionaire-backed experiment spanning thousands of square miles over the ocean.
Led by researchers at the University of Washington and supported by advocacy group SilverLining and SRI International, the project aims to spray saltwater aerosols into the atmosphere to create reflective clouds that could dim the sun’s rays. Known as marine cloud brightening, this untested technique is one of several controversial proposals under the umbrella of solar geoengineering — a field that’s largely unregulated, politically sensitive, and drawing growing concern from environmentalists and governments alike.
The controversy exploded after a small-scale pilot test aboard the retired aircraft carrier USS Hornet in Alameda, California, was abruptly shut down by city officials in mid-2024. City leaders were never informed of the test and learned about it through news reports. Internal communications, texts, and funding proposals obtained by E&E News reveal that this test was merely a prelude to a much larger experiment intended to span an area larger than Puerto Rico.
Documents show researchers hoped to access federal ships, planes, and millions in government funding to scale up their cloud brightening geoengineering project. The effort was reportedly supported by wealthy donors including Chris Larsen, Rachel Pritzker, and venture capitalist Chris Sacca, and had already received over $16 million from the Quadrature Climate Foundation.
Critics argue that the program’s secrecy and lack of community engagement violate ethical norms and public trust. “Alameda was a stepping stone to something much larger, and there wasn’t any engagement with local communities,” said Sikina Jinnah, a professor at UC Santa Cruz. Others, like Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft of Alameda, questioned the long-term risks of such technology, especially when organizers seemed to downplay its potential to affect weather patterns.
Emails show that program members deliberately withheld key details from the public, including instructions not to mention the Alameda test to reporters and efforts to “avoid scaring” local officials. After the test’s cancellation, SilverLining hired new PR consultants and discussed trying again after the next election cycle.
Despite the backlash, researchers defended the program. Sarah Doherty, who leads the Marine Cloud Brightening Program, emphasized that their goal is scientific understanding, not deployment. She stated there are “no plans for conducting large-scale studies that would alter weather or climate.”
Nonetheless, concerns remain. Over 575 scientists have called for a ban on geoengineering technologies, citing the risks of unintended consequences, “termination shock” if such programs are halted suddenly, and the inability to regulate them globally in an equitable way.
The cloud brightening geoengineering project now sits at the center of a broader debate: Should humanity intervene in the climate directly, or is even studying such methods too dangerous without full public consent?
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