Recently, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk presented a plan on how to save Earth from climate change. Musk proposed to manage the climate using a controlled constellation of satellites in Earth's orbit, writes Focus.
In his social network X, Elon Musk proposed a plan to save humanity from global warming. As it turns out, this plan includes satellites in orbit, writes Futurism.
"A large constellation of solar-powered artificial intelligence satellites could prevent global warming by making slight adjustments to the amount of solar energy reaching Earth," Musk wrote.
Currently, Musk's company SpaceX owns an extensive constellation of satellites in orbit, numbering nearly 9,000. They do not block the Sun yet, but they are already interfering with astronomers who are observing distant corners of the universe.
On social media, Musk was asked how such satellites could regulate the amount of solar energy reaching the planet's surface without completely destroying the climate. Not to mention the potential conflicts that could arise from controlling such a powerful global mechanism.
"To prevent global warming or, for that matter, global cooling, only minor adjustments would be needed. The Earth has turned into a snowball many times in the past," Musk replied.
The concept of blocking the Sun to change the climate is far from new; it is known as solar geoengineering. This idea is the subject of fierce debate in the scientific community. Most experts agree that such a concept is quite feasible but incredibly risky.
The problem is that the climate on the planet is a very complex system, and blocking sunlight could lead to unforeseen consequences. Even worse, if such a mission fails, there would be no way to reverse it.
Therefore, many researchers call solar geoengineering a desperate measure.
This year, measures such as cloud seeding with aerosols that could increase the reflectivity of clouds have already been considered. However, even small experiments have not yet been approved.
None of these ideas included satellites with AI. In his post, Musk agreed with the opinion that this would be a sign of a so-called Type II Kardashev civilization. This refers to a hypothetical type of advanced civilization capable of harnessing the full energy potential of the Sun by building a megastructure around it.
