- Fans hail Trump's 'guts' as he returns to site of rally shooting
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
- Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- France's Auradou whistled on Pau return in Perpignan loss amid ongoing rape case
- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
- Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
- Hezbollah heir apparent Safieddine out of contact after strikes
- Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
- In dank Tour of Emilia, Pogacar shines in rainbow jersey
- DR Congo launches mpox vaccination drive, hoping to curb outbreak
- Trump returns to site of failed assassination
- Careless Leverkusen held to Bundesliga draw
- O'Brien's 'superstar' Kyprios posts landmark win on Arc weekend
- Liverpool suffer Alisson injury blow
- Habosi helps Racing beat Vannes before Auradou's playing return
- Thousands march in London in support of Palestinians, 1 year after Oct 7
- Israel readying response to Iran missile attack
- Schutt, Mooney help Australia beat Sri Lanka in Women's T20 World Cup
- Liverpool extend Premier League lead with win at Palace
- Djokovic 'shakes rust off' to make third round of Shanghai Masters
- 'Imperfect' PSG fighting on all fronts - Luis Enrique
- Struggling Pakistan look to thwart adaptable England
- Child 'trampled to death' in asylum seekers' Channel crossing: minister
- Gauff fights back to set up Beijing final against Muchova
- Guardiola claims Premier League won't delay season for Man City
- Israel to mark October 7 attack as Gaza war spreads
- Gauff fights back to reach China Open final
- Recovering Stokes ruled out of first Pakistan Test
- Hezbollah battles troops on border as Israel pounds Lebanon
- Alcaraz, Sinner breeze into third round of Shanghai Masters
- Bagnaia wins Japan MotoGP sprint to cut Martin's lead
- Alcaraz breezes into third round of Shanghai Masters
- Gaza cultural heritage brought to light in Geneva
- 'Bullet for democracy': Trump returns to site of rally shooting
- Italy targets climate activists in 'anti-Gandhi' demo clampdown
Climate: Could moon dust keep Earth cool?
Whether out-of-the-box thinking or a sign of desperation, scientists on Wednesday proposed the regular transport of moon dust to a gravity point between Earth and Sun to temper the ravages of global warming.
Ideas for filtering solar radiation to keep Earth from overheating have been kicking around for decades, ranging from giant space-based screens to churning out reflective white clouds.
But the persistent failure to draw down planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions has pushed once-fanciful geoengineering schemes toward centre stage in climate policy, investment and research.
Blocking one to two percent of the Sun's rays is all it would take to lower Earth's surface by a degree or two Celsius -- roughly the amount it has warmed over the last century.
The solar radiation technique with the most traction so far is the 24/7 injection of billions of shiny sulphur particles into the upper atmosphere.
So-called stratospheric aerosol injection would be cheap, and scientists know it works because major volcanic eruptions basically do the same thing. When Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines blew its top in 1991, it lowered temperatures in the northern hemisphere by about 0.5C for nearly a year.
But there are serious potential side-effects, including the disruption of rain patterns upon which millions depend for growing food.
However, a new study in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS Climate explores the possibility of using moon dust as a solar shield.
A team of astronomers applied methods used to track planet formation around distant stars -- a messy process that kicks up vast quantities of space dust -- to Earth's moon.
Computer simulations showed that putting lunar dust at a gravitational sweet spot between Earth and Sun "blocked out a lot of sunlight with a little amount of mass", said lead author Ben Bromley, a professor of physics at the University of Utah.
- 'Balancing marbles' -
The scientists tested several scenarios involving different particle properties and quantities in different orbits, looking for the one that would throw the most shade.
Moon dust worked best. The quantities needed, they said, would require the equivalent of a major mining operation on Earth.
The authors stressed that their study was designed to calculate potential impact, not logistical feasibility.
"We aren't experts in climate change or rocket science," said co-author Benjamin Bromley, a professor at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
"We were just exploring different kinds of dust on a variety of orbits to see how effective this approach might be," he added. "We don't want to miss a game changer for such a critical problem."
Experts not involved in the study praised its methodology but doubted whether it would actually work.
"Placing moon dust at the gravity mid-point between Earth and Sun, can indeed reflect heat," said University of Edinburgh professor Stuart Haszeldine.
"But this is like trying to balance marbles on a football -- within a week most dust has spun out of stable orbit."
For Joanna Haigh, an emeritus professor of atmospherics at Imperial College London, the study is a distraction.
The main problem, she said, "is the suggestion that the implementation of such schemes will solve the climate crisis whereas it just gives polluters an excuse not to act."
M.A.Vaz--PC