The U.S Central Intelligence Agency has allocated about $630,000 to fund a research on geoengineering which aims to block the sun and reduce carbon dioxide to combat the effects of climate change.
The results of the study will be presented on fall of 2014 and facilitated by the researchers of the National Academy of Sciences.
The researchers are developing two methods that they believe can effectively alter the environment, which could be the solution to Earth’s dilemma regarding climate change. The first method in which they plan to launch a material in the atmosphere to block the sun’s ultraviolet rays to reduce warming is called ‘solar radiation management’ (SRM). The other one is called ‘carbon dioxide removal’ (CDR) in which they plan to develop structures that could absorb air pollution and capture carbon emissions even before they are discharged by the smokestacks.
The CIA did not specify their expectations on this research but this is not the first time that they have been involved in such study. Back in the 1950s, they have reportedly sprayed a hallucinogen called Lysergic acid diethylamide, also known as LSD or LSD-25, in a French village to induce rain clouds which could turn the trail into mud. Unfortunately, the locals suffered from mass insanity due to this incident.
This might spark another controversy as it was also reported last year that the Republicans from the U.S House of Representatives were questioning the agency’s involvement in such research. Climate change-related projects are under the U.S Environmental Protection Agency’s work.
However, National Academy of Sciences spokesperson Lauren Rugani clarified that the CIA is not involved in the experiment but would like to evaluate the current state of knowledge of the geoengineering projects and use the information they will get in future discussions.
As for the CIA's involvement, it "begins and ends with its financial contributions." Rugani explained as stated in The Verge. "It should be noted, and in fact highlighted, that CIA is only funding a portion of this study, with the rest provided by NOAA, NASA, and the National Academy of Sciences itself. One of the objectives of the study is to discuss the possible national security concerns that might arise should geoengineering techniques be deployed (expected or unexpectedly), either by a private entity or another country."
