.Akio KAWATO
Summer is coming again, and with it the heat. After years of record-breaking temperatures, even COP—the annual United Nations climate conference—seems to be losing its sense of direction. The more desperately the world tries to cut CO₂ emissions, the more the thermometer appears to mock us by climbing ever higher.
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As a result, some rather creative ideas are being proposed. One of them, described in detail by The Economist on November 25, 2023, would involve releasing two million tons of sulfur into the stratosphere every year. The particles would scatter sunlight and create the effect of a giant parasol high above the Earth. The problem, of course, is the cost—and the possibility of unpleasant side effects for the environment. There are also dreams of machines that would suck CO₂ directly out of the atmosphere, but so far they remain mostly dreams.
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So I would like to suggest a more straightforward solution.
Why not place an actual parasol between the Earth and the Sun?
When viewed from Earth, the Sun looks surprisingly small. Surely it cannot be beyond modern technology to park a sunshade of roughly that apparent size somewhere far out in space. Its position could be adjusted by AI. The parasol itself would, naturally, be manufactured in Japan.
Am I missing something here?
Or have I just solved global warming?
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