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Fertilizing the ocean with iron
is a form of #geoengineering,
a set of technologies that are compelling for their potential to meaningfully alter Earth’s systems,
-- and controversial for the same reason.

These days, some geoengineering techniques,
such as spraying chemicals into the sky to encourage clouds to produce more rain and ease drought,
are already in use.

Scientists have begun real-world demonstrations of
“cloud brightening,”
misting the skies with sea salt to dial up how much sunlight clouds reflect.

And even the more controversial approaches
—such as injecting the stratosphere with shiny sulfur compounds to block the sun’s rays
—are becoming part of mainstream climate discussions.

All of these methods are of undetermined efficacy, involve unknown risk, and may entail unintended consequences.

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2024/09/geoengineering-microbe-bacteria-climate/679961/