Some efforts are so disproportionate to their impact that they border on the absurd—like bailing out the ocean with a teaspoon. In this episode of Created to Reign, David R. Legates takes aim at one such effort: a Silicon Valley–style geoengineering startup selling “cooling credits” by launching weather balloons filled with sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere.

On paper, the idea borrows from real science—volcanic eruptions do cool the planet, after all. But when you scale the math, the economics, and the physics, the entire enterprise collapses into a case study in symbolic action masquerading as climate policy. Along the way, Dr. Legates explores the risks of solar geoengineering, the difference between meaningful solutions and virtue signaling, and the growing tension between private experimentation and public oversight. In the end, it’s a classic Sisyphean tale—lots of effort, lots of money, and virtually no effect.

Links:

https://makesunsets.com/

https://www.greenprophet.com/2025/04/make-sunsets-is-launching-geo-engineered-cooling-credits-with-vc-money/

https://cepa.org/article/solar-geoengineering-a-transatlantic-split-under-the-sun

https://legal-planet.org/2025/11/11/should-private-firms-be-involved-in-cooling-the-planet/

https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-demands-answers-unregulated-geoengineering-start-launching-sulfur-dioxide-air

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Our work is entirely supported by donations from people like you. If you benefit from our work and would like to partner with us, please visit www.cornwallalliance.org/donate.

In this episode of Created to Reign, Dr. David Legates revisits the most controversial sentence he’s ever spoken: “Carbon dioxide contributes very little to the greenhouse effect.” That single line has earned him everything from eye-rolling to outright insults—but it also reveals how deeply misunderstood the science has become. Dr. Legates breaks down, in plain language, why CO₂ is only a minor player compared to other greenhouse gases, why the famous “1.5°C tipping point” is more politics than physics, and why doubling CO₂ isn’t the doomsday trigger many claim it to be. If you’ve ever wondered whether the alarm matches the actual science, this episode cuts through the noise.

But he doesn’t stop there. Dr. Legates tackles popular myths head-on—from claims that the greenhouse effect violates basic thermodynamics to conspiracy theories suggesting 19th-century physicists engineered a global warming hoax. With clarity and a bit of humor, he explains how the greenhouse effect really works, why climatologists aren’t ignoring physics, and why Earth’s stable, life-supporting climate is something to marvel at—not fear. It’s a straightforward, no-nonsense look at climate science that challenges assumptions without the panic.

https://global-tipping-points.org/the-dartington-declaration/ https://climate-change-theory.com/

https://climate-change-theory.com/

Visit our podcast resource page: https://cornwallalliance.org/listen%20to%20our%20podcast%20created%20to%20reign/

Our work is entirely supported by donations from people like you. If you benefit from our work and would like to partner with us, please visit www.cornwallalliance.org/donate.

Sometimes new research genuinely advances our understanding. Other times, long-standing claims quietly fall apart. In this episode of Created to Reign, David R. Legates walks through two major developments in the climate literature from late 2025—one newly published paper that challenges prevailing assumptions about sea-level rise, and one highly influential paper that was abruptly retracted after its conclusions proved unsound. Together, they raise serious questions about how confident policymakers and the public should be in the climate narratives driving global decisions.

https://www.thecooldown.com/outdoors/bare-ice-ablation-zone-greenland-ice-sheet-sea-level-rise/

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07219-0

https://fackel.substack.com/p/retracted-the-economic-commitment

Visit our podcast resource page: https://cornwallalliance.org/listen%20to%20our%20podcast%20created%20to%20reign/

Our work is entirely supported by donations from people like you. If you benefit from our work and would like to partner with us, please visit www.cornwallalliance.org/donate.