Inspired by Mt. Pinatubo’s eruption, a group of Earth scientists, meteorologists, and climatologists carried out a study, which was published in Geophysical Research Letters.
According to the group’s unconventional plan, millions of tons of diamond dust–if not sulfur dioxide–would be sprayed into Earth's upper atmosphere, via volcanic eruptions, where it will react with water vapor and other gases to form sulfate aerosols that will help cool the globe and fight global warming.
The Philippines' Mount Pinatubo eruption in 1991, which caused the Earth to cool by 0.5 degrees for a number of years, is the most recent example. That event, which damaged most of Central Luzon, is what made scientists think about releasing sulfate aerosols into the atmosphere.
Trial and error
Calcite, silicon carbide, aluminum, sulfur dioxide, and even various types of titanium dioxide, such as anatase and rutile, were among the materials that the researchers took into consideration for the study as they may function as aerosols.
They examined the materials' ability to reflect heat and sunlight, their duration in the atmosphere, and any potential negative side effects, such as causing acid rain.
The group determined that diamond dust was the most efficient alternative after weighing all the other options since diamond particles reflect the most heat and light and remain in the air for longer.
Furthermore, unlike sulfur injection, which could alter weather patterns, diamonds are chemically inert and would not react with other things in the environment to produce acid rain or other negative side effects.
Costly solution
According to other scientists, it would cost almost USD 200 trillion to spray diamond dust into the sky every year by 2100, which is 2,400 times more than sulfur dioxide. For this reason, they believe sulfur is a more cost-effective option.
However, it is also considered the second-worst choice because of its propensity to absorb light at specific wavelengths, which can trap heat and alter climate patterns in a manner akin to El Niño impacts.
The globe might cool by 1.6 degrees if 5 million tons of diamond dust were blasted into the stratosphere each year to have a long-lasting impact.
