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Letter: Reflecting sunshine away from Earth

Published 28 January 2026

From Brad Elliott, North Rocks, New South Wales, Australia

The article on Reflect Orbital’s plan to use satellites to provide sunshine on demand raises the at least equal chance of reflecting sunshine away from Earth, which would be far more desirable to reduce global warming. The areas that should be the first to be shaded should be areas with the most rapid ice cap melting, since reflectivity of ice is much higher than that of the darker, more heat-absorbing ocean beneath (3 January, p 11).

Issue no. 3580 published 31 January 2026

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