15 - SAI Deployment

Summary

A deep dive is taken here into the nuts and bolts of what a global SAI deployment program would actually entail, based upon my own primary research. Noting first that there is currently neither a scientific basis to understand the impacts of such a deployment nor a governance structure that could confer legitimacy upon it, the logistics of deployment would be straightforward. Getting the aerosol to the right place in the sky would require a newly developed fleet of dozens and soon hundreds of high-altitude high-payload tankers. Such aircraft do not currently exist but could be developed within a decade at a cost of a few billion dollars. Several aerosol candidates could reasonably be considered, but sulfates would likely top the list. Deployment would occur in the tropics in both the northern and southern hemispheres and would be continuous for decades at least. Bases would ideally be in many countries, making this a multilateral effort. An organizational structure for a deployment effort is presented. The annual cost to cool the earth by 1°C is estimated to be in the range of $18 billion.