While some scientists suggested that by injecting sulphate compounds into the upper atmosphere, global warming could be neutralized, others believe that this method would severely damage the ozone layer, especially over the Arctic region.

Dr. Simone Tilmes, of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder explained: “Our research indicates that trying to artificially cool off the planet could have perilous side effects. While climate change is a major threat, more research is required before society attempts global geo-engineering solutions.”

With the help of computer simulations, Dr. Simone Tilmes and her team estimated that the ozone layer would be slowly destroyed due to chemical reactions produced by the sulphate injections in reaction to other atmospheric compounds. This would also slow down the processes of recreating the ozone layer above the Arctic Ocean, adding at least 30 to 70 years more to the process.

“If the successful control of ozone-depleting substances allows for a full recovery of the ozone hole over Antarctica, we may finally see the interior of Antarctica begin to warm with the rest of the world,” said Judith Perlwitz of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, a joint institute of CU-Boulder and NOAA, according to the Associated Press.

As changes in our atmosphere become more drastic each year, scientists need to consider all possibilities before adopting such a solution. In this case, an attempt to cool the planet by using sulphate injections would have disastrous effects on the ozone layer.

Most scientists believe global warming is inevitably going to accentuate in the years to come, unless we do something about it. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s latest report on greenhouse emissions, carbon dioxide concentrations rose 0.6 percent, the equivalent of 19 billion tons, in the past year alone, due to the intense use of fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas).

Apart from dioxide carbon emissions, methane levels have also increased for the first time in the past decade, and although methane is just half as harmful as carbon dioxide, its climate related effects should draw alarm signals: we should tend towards a less fossil fuel – dependable world.