How to Dim the Sun

How to Dim the Sun

From How We Survive by Marketplace

May 27, 2026 · 36 min · Season 9 · Episode 1

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

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the How We Survive podcast page.