Paul J. Crutzen, winner of a Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on the hole in the ozone layer, is one of the scientists who has proposed scattering light-reflecting sulphate particles into the atmosphere, saying it could slow global warming by reflecting solar radiation back
into space.
But according to a new study in the journal Science, regular injections of sulphates over the next few decades would destroy between one- and three-quarters of the ozone layer above the Arctic.In the Antarctic, the geoengineering scheme could delay the expected recovery of the current ozone hole by 30 to 70 years.
"Our research indicates that trying to artificially cool off the planet could have perilous side effects," Simone Tilmes, the report’s lead author, was reported as saying. "While climate change is a major threat, more research is required before society attempts global
geoengineering solutions."
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