Could this Bill Gates-backed balloon cool soaring Middle East temperatures?

The balloon will drop particles of calcium carbonate – chalk dust – near the Arctic town of Kiruna to see if they can deflect the Sun

The project will examine if global warming could be kept in check by dimming the Sun. But scientists insisted cutting emissions should remain a priority. Reem Mohammed / The National

A giant balloon funded partly by billionaire Bill Gates could help control scorching regional temperatures in the future.

A huge inflatable will release particles of chalk dust from 20 kilometres above the Swedish town of Kiruna this summer, as scientists explore new ways to dim the power of the Sun.

In the first serious attempt at "solar geo-engineering", researchers aim to assess the efficacy of the calcium carbonate in deflecting some of the Sun's energy and reducing temperatures on Earth.

Solar-geoengineering is not an alternative or substitute to cutting emissions

The project is being led by Harvard University and the balloon will also carry 600 kilograms of scientific equipment high above the Arctic to monitor how effective the process could be.

A small plume of dust will be released that will stretch across a few kilometres, allowing scientists to check how the dust particles react with the air.

Any data collected during the trial can then be entered into computer modelling to see the impact of a similar operation on a larger scale.

Prof David Keith, one of the project’s leaders, said solar geo-engineering should only be used to complement existing measures.

“Solar-geoengineering is not an alternative or substitute to cutting emissions,” he said.

“Doing serious investigation of what its risks are and how well it could work provides the next generation with better information to make a more informed decision.

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“It could allow us to reduce the temperature extremes that cause real human suffering, deaths from heatwaves and loss of crops in some of the poorest parts of the world.

“Elsewhere, it could reduce extreme precipitation events that are some of the most dangerous aspects of climate change.

“Solar-geoengineering could be relatively inexpensive.”

But critics said cooling the planet through solar geoengineering could deflect focus from other projects aimed at reducing carbon emissions.

Even if proved successful, the strategy could only be deployed in desperation if significant portions of Earth become too hot to be habitable.

Rising temperatures are a major issue for the Middle East, with concerns some regions could become unliveable if average temperatures continue to increase.

The Middle East and North Africa region is expected to experience extreme summer temperatures and is a hotspot for future increases due to its arid environment.

A UAE satellite launched from a Russian Soyuz rocket this week to monitor levels of greenhouse gases responsible for climate change.

Dubai’s environment nanosat will monitor carbon dioxide levels, methane and water vapour.