Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla and SpaceX, recently put forward a novel climate - intervention proposal on the social media platform X. His plan involves launching a fleet of satellites that are managed by artificial intelligence. These satellites would aim to curb global warming by making subtle modifications to the quantity of solar radiation that the Earth receives.

This idea bears a resemblance to the space "sunshade" concept that has been under academic discussion for numerous years. However, for the most part, it has remained confined to the theoretical realm.

Musk contended that these "large - scale solar AI satellites" could control the amount of energy that the Earth absorbs through reflection. He even went so far as to claim that, with the assistance of factories on the Moon, these satellites could generate as much as 100 terawatts of electricity per year.

Nevertheless, the scientific community has harbored long - standing doubts. Research indicates that to achieve a discernible climate impact on a large scale, it might be necessary to deploy thousands of satellites. Moreover, the associated costs could soar to hundreds of billions or even trillions of dollars.