A start-up called Stardust Solutions has raised $60 million to pursue solar geoengineering, a technique that involves releasing reflective particles into the atmosphere to bounce sunlight back into space. This is the largest investment ever for a company working on such a strategy to cool the planet, according to Politico, and follows a previous $15 million funding round.
Founded in 2023 by nuclear physicists Yanai Yedvab and Amyad Spector, and particle physicist Eli Waxman, the company aims to deploy non-sulfate particles into the stratosphere. Yedvab said the patent-pending particle avoids the toxicity and side-effects of sulfate-based materials, such as ozone depletion. The exact composition remains undisclosed.
The concept of solar radiation modification has existed since the 1960s, but small-scale outdoor experiments have only occurred in the last two decades. Past projects, including a 2024 sea salt aerosol test in California and the 2021 SCoPEx project in Sweden, were cancelled due to public opposition, particularly from Indigenous groups who argued such interventions violate their philosophy and fail to address root causes of climate change.
Despite controversy, the urgency of the climate crisis has renewed interest in geoengineering. Yedvab told The Independent that given the escalating crisis, it would be irresponsible not to research all options. He warned that governments may need to deploy sunlight reflection technology within a decade, and preparations must be complete.
