Prof. Sam LawlerEverybody go read "Termination Shock" by Neal Stephenson, because apparently that whole scenario is actually about to start happening: https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/11/21/stardust-geoengineering-janos-pasztor-regulations-00646414
Prof. Sam LawlerAcademics, looks like there's an open letter against solar geoengineering that you can sign on to here: https://www.solargeoeng.org/
Prof. Sam Lawler'Theoretically, rogue billionaires could afford to at least start changing the climate on their own. That’s the premise of the science fiction novel “Termination Shock,” which inspired Iseman to found Make Sunsets in 2022.'
WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK TECHBROS
https://wapo.st/3MeKCkf
Petra van Cronenburg@sundogplanets@mastodon.social Who can/will stop them? We have rules for installing a plant in most of our countries but do we have enough international rules for space? And if not which organisation could do that?
Prof. Sam Lawler@NatureMC@mastodon.online It's too bad the UN doesn't seem to actually be effective at much anymore because it seems like they have to be the ones to regulate.
Petra van Cronenburg@sundogplanets@mastodon.social Thanks to your answer, I found indeed the Office for Outer Space Affairs of the UN (UNOOSA): https://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/spacelaw/treaties.html
Reading their article about space law: https://www.un.org/en/peace-and-security/international-space-law-explained seems to be not so much a problem that they wouldn't work but a problem of the political disaster at the moment, especially with the USA withdrawing from so many responsibilities.
@jwcph@helvede.net
Prof. Sam Lawler@NatureMC@mastodon.online @jwcph@helvede.net I went to a UNOOSA workshop a year ago, and it was fascinating because all the satellite operators (notably SpaceX wasn't there) were saying "we need regulation in orbit" and the UNOOSA reps kept saying "we just provide guidelines, we can't enforce anything."
Wild stuff.