THIS WILL REALLY SCREW UP YOUR ABILITY TO GET A NICE TAN

The mind-bogglingly insane idea of blocking the sun’s rays from reaching the Earth in order to reduce global warming has once again been raised by American politicians. In their response to the controversial United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report (which concluded that there is a 90 percent chance that human activity is warming the planet and that temperatures could rise up to six degrees Celsius over the next century), U.S. policymakers officially recommended that scientists begin researching ways to block out the sun’s light as an “insurance policy” in case we are unable to reduce the emissions which contribute to global warming. According to the U.S. response, “modifying solar radiance may be an important strategy if mitigation of emissions fails... This is a very important possibility that should be considered." Possible ways this cunning plan might be accomplished include firing a giant screen or mirrors into orbit, pumping reflective sulfate droplets or dust into the upper atmosphere, or sending thousands of small, reflective balloons into space to absorb sunlight before it reaches the Earth. Scientists have previously speculated that reflecting less than 1% of sunlight back into space could compensate for the warming generated by all greenhouse gases emitted since the industrial revolution. (The Guardian)