
About this episode
The episode explores the controversial concept of solar geoengineering through the lens of sulfur dioxide injection to combat climate change.
Could dimming the sun be the key to cooling things down before the climate crisis worsens? Some scientists say yes, that we can cool the earth by launching tons of sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere. It’s a type of solar geoengineering that was once seen as preposterous, meant to exist only in the pages of a sci-fi novel. But now, it’s a reality. To find out for ourselves, we travel to Northern California where two entrepreneurs are launching sulfur-filled balloons from the top of stacked shipping containers. Later, we talk with scientists on both sides of this issue to find out if solar geoengineering could help prevent catastrophic tipping points or introduce a whole new slew of cascading consequences.
Topics covered
- climate crisis
- solar geoengineering
- sulfur dioxide
- environmental science
- entrepreneurship
- scientific debate
Keywords
- climate change
- geoengineering
- sulfur dioxide
- environment
- tipping points
- cascading consequences
- Northern California
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Marketplace
Places: Northern California
More episodes of How We Survive
- Make It Rain · June 10, 2026 · 33 min
- Novel Solutions · June 3, 2026 · 25 min
- "How We Survive" returns May 27 · May 20, 2026 · 3 min
- The Carbon Gold Rush (bonus episode from "Drilled") · May 13, 2026 · 27 min
- Burning Questions: The EPA repealed the endangerment finding. Who are the economic winners and losers? · February 24, 2026 · 18 min
- Feeding the Family (bonus episode) · November 26, 2025 · 52 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the How We Survive podcast page.