Elon Musk has revealed ambitious plans to combat global warming by launching a massive constellation of AI-powered satellites. The project aims to modulate the amount of solar radiation reaching Earth. The idea is based on solar geoengineering, which involves blocking a small fraction of sunlight to achieve a cooling effect. In a post on the X platform, Musk stated that these "solar-powered" satellites in Earth's orbit would perform "minor adjustments" capable of preventing global warming, and even claimed the system could handle global cooling if necessary. Musk also mentioned that Earth "has been a snowball several times in the past," although the last time this happened was about 635 million years ago. Musk did not specify the exact role of AI in his satellite system, but it would likely be responsible for determining when to make "minor adjustments" to the amount of solar radiation. This move has faced sharp criticism from both experts and users. Lily Fu, director of the Fossil Economy Program at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), warned that these technologies are "not well-proven" and could increase the instability of the already fragile climate system. In her X post, she stated that the idea "grossly overestimates human control and dangerously underestimates the natural balance." In contrast, Musk appears determined to move forward, citing his success in launching over 8,000 satellites into Earth's orbit as part of the Starlink project, which provides high-speed internet worldwide. Additionally, Ram Ben-Zeev, an author and entrepreneur from Scotland, warned that reducing solar radiation by just 1-2% could be enough to harm photosynthesis, the process that forms the basis of life on Earth.
