Hardware Podcasts

The Carbon Copy: A rogue geoengineering startup sparks worry

Catalyst · 27 Apr 2023 · 26m

What this episode covers

Time staff writer Alejandro de la Garza profiles Make Sunsets, a rogue startup founded by Luke Iseman and Andrew Song, which is attempting to implement solar geoengineering by launching weather balloons filled with sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere. Experts Dr. Kevin Surprise and Dr. Holly Buck criticize the company's unverified 'cooling credits' and warn that their uncoordinated, illegal launches risk delegitimizing the entire field of geoengineering while creating unpredictable environmental and geopolitical consequences. The episode highlights the tension between academic caution and the 'move fast and break things' mentality of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who are pushing the technology from theoretical debate into uncontrolled real-world experiments.

Most relevant to

founders before launch

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Make Sunsets, Y Combinator, Energy Hub
Also
Luke Iseman, Andrew Song, Alejandro de la Garza, Kevin Surprise, Holly Buck

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Hardware to Save a Planet · 57m

    Stratospheric Mirrors from Aerosol Injections: Make Sunsets' Approach to Cooling Earth

    Luke Iseman, founder of Make Sunsets, explains his company's approach to stratospheric aerosol injection by launching biodegradable balloons filled with sulfur dioxide to reflect sunlight and cool the planet. He details the hardware challenges of recovering payloads from the stratosphere, the unit economics of selling 'cooling credits' to individuals, and the ethical debates surrounding solar geoengineering. Iseman argues that immediate, scalable cooling is necessary alongside long-term decarbonization efforts, citing the low cost and high leverage of his current balloon-based MVP compared to academic proposals for aircraft fleets.

    Energy & climate techPrototyping & iteration
    6 chapters

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