A controversial idea to brake global warming, first floated by
the father of the hydrogen bomb, is affordable and technically
feasible, but its environmental impact remains unknown, a trio
of US scientists say. Sowing the stratosphere with particles to
reflect the Sun and cool the planet is possible with current
technology and would cost a fraction of the bill from climate
change or reducing emissions by fossil fuels, they argue. Back
in 1997, as man-made global warming became a political issue, US
nuclear physicist Edward Teller and others suggested spreading
sulphate particles into the upper atmosphere. Carried around the
globe on high-speed winds, the whitish particulates, known as
aerosols, would reflect the Sun, reducing solar radiation by
around one percent. It would provide a cooling similar to when
volcanoes spew out clouds of dust, said Teller, who argued this
option was far smarter than switching out of cheap and
dependable fossil fuels. Teller, a hawk on nuclear weapons who
reputedly inspired the m