A state senator from Pennsylvania has raised concerns in the scientific community with new, conspiracy-peddling legislation opposing solar geoengineering, The Daily Climate reported.
Sen. Doug Mastriano cited several baseless conspiracy theories to support his proposed legislation, which would outlaw several burgeoning technologies and potential climate interventions that could potentially help Pennsylvanians.
The Republican representing Franklin and Adams counties mostly spoke of the debunked "chemtrail" conspiracies, which theorize that high-flying aircraft are polluting the atmosphere with toxic chemicals, and he attempted to persuade legislators that this false rumor is linked with geoengineering. However, as several scientists explained to The Daily Climate, this is false on several levels.
Geoengineering is a blanket term for a host of conceptual strategies that would look to combat atmospheric warming directly, in order to supplement ongoing, yet slow-moving, efforts to lower emissions in other ways.
One of these potential geoengineering methods, solar radiation modification, would use strategic aerosol particles at upper levels of the atmosphere in order to reflect some sunlight back into space.
"The science remains mostly theoretical, and no government has authorized deployment," The Daily Climate explained. "Yet false claims linking the field to harmful 'chemtrail' plots have gained traction in some political circles."
The Pennsylvania Capital-Star, reporting on...
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