Donations are made via the secure link at The Climate Foundation and powered by Donor Box*. All donations are tax-deductible in the USA, please refer to the Climate Foundation donor page for details.
*For tax deductible donations in the UK, Canada and Australia please contact Brian von Herzen at the Climate Foundation via email or by using our contact form.
Donating towards our project can literally make the difference between a brighter future for humanity where we have climate change under control, or a precarious future full of climate related catastrophes of increasing impacts for decades. There is simply no better way to buy us time to adapt, mitigate and reverse global warming and sea level rise and to abate the extreme weather events linked to a warming climate, than to invest in this Marine Cloud Brightening R&D project.
There are four main components to this project and you can specify which component you would like your donation to go towards.
1. Computer Modelling of MCB Climate Effects:
Funding requirement : $0.7m (USD)
Three separate modelling projects managed by the UK National Centre for Atmospheric Science – https://ncas.ac.uk/ – will assess a range of MCB scenarios, based on agreed variables that affect cloud nucleation and climate impacts such as geographic location and weather conditions. This research will be shared by publication in scientific papers, building upon the extensive prior academic literature on MCB modelling. The intent of this modelling is to define where and when MCB should be deployed, in order to assess the size and direction of its climate forcing effects. This modelling could also assess other related climate cooling methods.
2. Technical Feasibility of Fine Sea Spray:
Funding requirement : $3m (USD)
The uniform particles of salt-water spray at sub-micron scale required for MCB could be generated by multiple methods. We will etch nozzles in silicon wafers, and demonstrate filtration and stability of the produced spray in a purpose-built plastic wind tunnel in our workshop. The aim is to validate the ability to make spray the right size with an array of multiple nozzles and other methods. The test will measure submicron salt mass with dry crystal in dry air, using plate glass techniques with microscopy and possibly laser optics for drop counting and sizing in a spray tunnel (diagram on next slide). Injecting salt spray into ultra clean air at the right temperature will measure the rate of drop formation and subsequent coalescence through a range of humidity values. These trials will provide essential information about lab and field feasibility, validating nozzle design for spray generation in the atmosphere, enabled field trials.
3. Strategic Consultation and Messaging:
Funding requirement : $0.5m (USD)
Government, academic and media discussions, conferences, lobbying for support and investment, newspaper articles, press releases, videos and this project website are all needed to inform the community and seek views. MCB is political due to the concern that it might reduce incentives to decarbonise the economy. Differential geographical impacts and social concerns need to be understood and shared. This component will enable engagement in public discussion and debate about critical questions, helping to increase scientific awareness and permissions for research with universities for field trials and later pilot testing. Our approach proposes an incremental development in the context of increasing risks from the current emissions pathway.
4. Project Management:
Funding requirement $0.8m (USD)
Overall project delivery, reporting and planning will be arranged by the Climate Foundation in coordination with other members of the project.
The Climate Foundation – https://www.climatefoundation.org/ – is a tax-exempt charitable organization registered in the USA, with assets valued at $3m and annual income above $1m.
Climate Foundation’s recent success in winning the $1 million X-Prize for its marine pemaculture project demonstrates ability to deliver at the scale proposed for this project.
Thank you for your interest in our vital MCB rebrightening project. We hope this will bring a brighter future for all, with climate change brought under control in a meaningful timescale for humanity and the natural world.