When we spray sunlight-reflecting particles into the stratosphere we dim the sunlight, actually reflect it away from the earth and add shade to the earth which lowers the earth’s temperature. When Mount Pinatubo erupted in the Philippines in 1991, it injected an estimated 20 million tons of sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere — the atmospheric layer that stretches from about 6 to 30 miles above Earth’s surface. The eruption created a haze of sulfate particles that cooled the planet by around 1 degree Fahrenheit. For about 18 months, Earth’s average temperature returned to what it was before the arrival of the steam engine. Cooling the earth will increase the amount of polar ice which will cool the earth two ways. Ice cools things off and polar ice reflects some sunlight back into space which also cools the earth. John Kerry can continue to use his private jet if he adds a bit of cooling powder to the air as he jets along.
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