Plans have been drawn up to release a large balloon containing chalk this summer in a bid to slow down climate change. The project, which will be trialled in near the Arctic town of Kiruna, has received the tech magnate’s support.
Mr Gates was also one of the private donors who contributed to making the plans possible.
The balloon would be used to sprinkle calcium carbonate, or chalk dust, which could potentially deviate some of the sun’s energy, decreasing Earth’s temperatures.
However, the project received backlash from people claiming this kind of “solar geoengineering” will be used by politicians as a justification to postpone reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Even Frank Keutsch, a professor at Harvard University is one of the experts spearheading the plans.
According to the Times, Prof Keutsch believes the prospect of having to resort to geoengineering on exhaustive dimensions is “terrifying”.
Sir David King, a former chief scientific adviser to the UK Government, said “there should be a moratorium on rolling the technique out.”
Mr Gates, a long-standing advocate for climate change solutions, has recently published a new book where he outlines ideas for fighting global warming.
In “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster,” the billionaire highlights the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050.