US geo engineers are about to splash out of the balloon a sun-reflecting chemical. An experiment in New Mexico attempts to cool the planet by spreading sulphate aerosols.

Two engineers from Harvard with a balloon, flying through Fort Sumner in New Mexico at an altitude of 24.384 meters, spatter into the atmosphere chemical particles that reflect solar radiation to artificially cool the planet. A natural solar geoengineering experiment aims to create a technology that mimics the cooling effects of volcanoes that exclude sulphates into the stratosphere and thus reduce the Earth's temperature. They want to do so using sulphated aerosols to reflect sunlight back into space.

David Keith, one of the scholars, argued that geoengineering can be an inexpensive method of slowing global warming, but other scientists warn that it could have unpredictable, disastrous consequences for Earth's climate systems and for food supply. Environmentalists are concerned that the shift in which geoengineering would become "Plan B" for climate change will undermine efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

Keith, who manages the multi-million dollar geo-engineering research fund provided by Microsoft founder Bill Gates, has previously commissioned a study by an American airline commissioned by a large-scale deployment of solar geoengineering. His American experiment, conducted by American James Anderson, will take place within one year and involves the release of tens or hundreds of kilograms of particles to measure the impact on ozone chemistry and to test ways to spray droplets of sulphate aerosols into appropriate sizes.

Since it is not possible to simulate the complexity of the stratosphere in the laboratory, Keith says the experiment will provide an opportunity to improve the modeling of how the ozone layer could be changed by much larger sulfate sprays. "The goal is not to change the climate, but simply to test the processes at the micro level," Keith said. "The direct risk is very low."

While the experiment must not harm the climate, environmentalists say that modeling and impact studies of sulfur dust emitted by volcanoes have identified significant global environmental risks of solar geoengineering. "The impacts include the potential for further ozone depletion and rainfall disruption, particularly in tropical and subtropical areas - potentially endangering the food supply to billions of people," said Pat Mooney, executive director of ETC's Canadian Technology Patrol. “It will do nothing to reduce the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, nor to stop the acidification of the oceans. And solar geoengineering is likely to increase the risk of international climate-related conflicts - given that modeling still shows that it poses a greater risk to the southern hemisphere. ”

The study, published last month, concluded that solar radiation management in North America and Northern Eurasia could reduce collisions with 15% and more than 20% in Central America.

Last fall British field the test of a balloon and a hose device that would draw water into the sky caused controversy. The government-funded project - Stratospheric Particle Injection for Climate Engineering (Spice) - was canceled after a series of decrees and public protest by global NGOs, some arguing that the project was a "Trojan horse" that would open the door to widespread technology deployment. Keith said he opposed Spice from the outset because he would not improve his knowledge of the risks or effectiveness of geoengineering, unlike his own experiment.

"I greet the British Government for showing and trying," he said. “But I wish she could do it better, because those who oppose such experiments will see it as a victory and try to stop other experiments. "The Guardian understands that Keith plans to use the Gates-sponsored fund to organize a meeting to study Spice lessons.