The London Guardian is reporting that the Bush Administration wants to put giant mirrors in space to block sunlight from reaching the earth as a means of protecting against global warming.
I am not kidding.
I know it sounds like a joke, but apparently it is no joke.
According to the London Guardian:
The US government wants the world's scientists to develop technology to block sunlight as a last-ditch way to halt global warming, the Guardian has learned. It says research into techniques such as giant mirrors in space or reflective dust pumped into the atmosphere would be "important insurance" against rising emissions, and has lobbied for such a strategy to be recommended by a major UN report on climate change, the first part of which will be published on Friday.
Now, of course they don't call them just "mirrors". They call them devices for "modifying solar radiance". Kind of like how incinerators are often referred to in air pollution permits as "thermal oxidizers". Apparently it isn't good for the public to understand what their government is doing.
The Guardian references a table from the US government's September 14, 2006 review of the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report.
Modifying solar radiance may be an important strategy if mitigation of emissions fails for one reason or another. Doing the R&D to estimate the consequences of applying such a strategy is important insurance that should be taken out. This is a very important possibility that should be considered. Should also be included in Figure SPM.6. Add a indication of radiative offset. needs [sic] to be also coordinated with WG1 on radiative offset.
The Guardian notes that the US had been trying to get the UN's IPCC to modify the Report so that it would not focus on a new treaty proposed by Tony Blair to establish emission reductions. The US wanted more emphasis in the Report to be on voluntary measures and also on the short comings of the Kyoto treaty.
Apparently the final UN IPCC Report will be released next week at a meeting in Paris.
The Guardian goes on to report that the US wants to see information regarding "the idea of interfering with sunlight" included in the summary of the report that is targetted to the policy makers in each country. They quote the U.S. comments on the report as saying:
Modifying solar radiance may be an important strategy if mitigation of emissions fails. Doing the R&D to estimate the consequences of applying such a strategy is important insurance that should be taken out. This is a very important possibility that should be considered.
I'm looking for the comments they are referencing and will post a link when I find them.