Dusting the Sky With Diamonds: A Fancy Solution to Climate Change?

I have added some pop-culture references to make this scientific discovery more enjoyable.

We love plants. We have indoor plants, aquarium plants, trees, bushes, flowers, you name it. But there’s something that we don’t like so much: when the cold weather kills our plants or prevents us from growing some of our favorites.

So, once we had our own house with our own backyard, it was a no-brainer that we were going to build a greenhouse to be able to plant vegetables year-round.

The idea was that solar heat would get trapped inside the greenhouse, keeping it warmer during winter. In the summer, we could open the windows to keep it ventilated or just move some of the plants outside.

But we didn’t account for maintenance. As fall approached, leaves started falling on top of the greenhouse roof. With the leaves preventing the sun from passing through, the greenhouse became colder, not warmer.

Lesson learned: We’d need to invest in roof cleaning solutions during the fall. But at the same time, we had a real-world experiment showcasing some of the newest solutions to the climate change crisis. What am I talking about? Keep reading, and get ready for some music too.

As we face the pressing issue of climate change, scientists are turning to creative solutions. In fact, that’s what scientists love the most, if you ask me!

And one idea currently gaining traction is the concept of solar radiation modification (SRM) — a fancy way of saying we might cool the planet by reflecting some sunlight back into space, just like the lives in our greenhouse do.

And, in an unexpected twist, researchers are looking at somethign quite unexpected to tackle this: tiny synthetic diamonds. It might sound like something out of science fiction, or even a Beatles song — tell me I’m not the only one singing right now… Lucy in the sky…

However, recent studies suggest it could actually work.

But let’s go back to the science, even if we adore pop-culture.

At its core, this approach is based on injecting tiny particles into the stratosphere, where they could scatter sunlight, reducing the amount that reaches Earth’s surface. The concept has been explored before, most commonly with sulfur dioxide, a substance released naturally by volcanic eruptions or those we see in Yellowstone National Park. However, sulfur dioxide comes with some unwanted side effects, like acid rain and damage to the ozone layer.

So, researchers are exploring alternative particles that might do the job better without those downsides.

In a new study, a team of climatologists, meteorologists, and Earth scientists modeled the impact of injecting seven different materials into the atmosphere, including diamond dust. Using advanced 3D climate models, they simulated how each material would behave: how well it would scatter sunlight, how long it would stay suspended in the atmosphere, and whether it might clump together, reducing its effectiveness.

The goal was to find a material that could reflect sunlight efficiently while minimizing negative environmental impacts.

And before you ask, no, they didn’t try fall leaves.

After running the numbers, diamond dust came out as the top performer. Apparently, the stratosphere has an expensive taste! At least my wife has never been interested in them.

As the research team explained, “diamond dust would be the best option — the particles would reflect the most light and heat, they would stay aloft for a reasonable amount of time, and would not be likely to clump.”

Diamond particles have several advantages compared to sulfur dioxide, which is commonly proposed for this type of climate intervention. They are chemically inert, meaning they wouldn’t react to form harmful compounds like acid rain, and they also scatter light more effectively, which means fewer particles would be needed to achieve the same cooling effect.

In fact, the study found that injecting 5 million tons of synthetic diamond dust into the stratosphere each year could cool the Earth by an impressive 1.6°C over the span of 45 years. 1.6°C!

That might not sound like much, but when you consider the global impact of just a few degrees of warming, it’s clear that this could make a significant difference.

“Some argue that the only solution at this point is rapidly finding a way to cool the planet,” the researchers noted. Indeed, with climate change reaching what many call a tipping point, this cooling effect could help buy time as we continue to work on reducing carbon emissions and developing other climate solutions.

Of course, there are always trade-offs. The researchers didn’t shy away from acknowledging the enormous cost of such an endeavor. The price tag for injecting diamond dust into the atmosphere could be as high as $200 trillion. That’s trillion, with a “T”!

And while diamonds are forever, this solution would require a continuous supply of diamond dust to maintain the cooling effect, as the particles would gradually settle out of the atmosphere over time.

Moreover, while diamond dust might avoid some of the pitfalls associated with sulfur dioxide, there are still uncertainties. One concern is whether the particles might agglomerate — that is, stick together and form larger clumps. I know you may be now picturing a Pink Floyd cover… But don’t shine on your crazy diamonds unless you have 13 minutes to spare!

This would reduce their effectiveness in scattering sunlight and could mean that more frequent injections are needed. The research team highlighted that “agglomeration represents a source of uncertainty,” and further study is required to understand how diamond particles would behave once released into the atmosphere.

So, is diamond dust the answer to our climate woes?

Maybe, but it’s not a silver bullet. The idea of cooling the planet by reflecting sunlight has been around for a while, but it’s only now that we’re seriously looking into materials like diamond dust that could make it feasible.

Still, the cost and logistical challenges are immense, and there are environmental and ethical questions to consider. Should we be focusing on new technologies like this, or should we double down on cutting emissions and finding ways to remove carbon from the atmosphere? Maybe both?

At the end of the day, the prospect of dusting the sky with diamonds is a reminder that the solutions to climate change might not always be straightforward and might even be glamorous.

But it’s also clear that this is just one piece of the puzzle. Whether or not diamond dust becomes a part of our global climate strategy, it shows that innovation is key in tackling one of the greatest challenges of our time.

And to keep up with the pop theme, I’ll leave you with another diamond hit. Where are all these stars’ visionaries? Like diamonds in the sky…