With Its Population Already Lacking Vitamin D, the UK Is Set to Approve Experiments Aimed at Dimming Sunlight

With research showing that over 60 percent of the UK population has insufficient levels of vitamin D, and more than 20 percent being outright deficient, you might think – or at least hope – that the country’s government would be concerned. If so, then think again. Reports suggest the UK is set to approve highly controversial geoengineering experiments aimed at dimming sunlight to address global warming. While the legacy media has at least given some coverage to this plan, the potential effects on health are being largely ignored.

The high-stakes experiments, which aim to reflect sunlight away from Earth, could begin within weeks. Funded by the so-called ‘Advanced Research and Invention Agency’ (ARIA), a UK government-backed organization, £50 million ($67 million) has already been allocated to the project with an additional £750 million ($1 billion) set aside for use over the next four years. This money will make the UK one of the world’s biggest funders of such activities.

One of the methods said to be under consideration is ‘Stratospheric Aerosol Injection.’ This would involve dispersing chemical particles into the upper atmosphere to reflect sunlight. Another is ‘Marine Cloud Brightening,’ where ships would spray sea-salt particles into the air to increase the reflectivity of low-altitude clouds. While ARIA claims that only “small controlled outdoor experiments” will be conducted, not everyone is convinced.

Unintended Consequences

The safety and predictability of these interventions is far from guaranteed. Critics warn that they could have unintended and potentially dangerous side effects. Some fear that interfering with weather systems could even intensify climate problems, triggering extreme weather events such as severe droughts or devastating cyclones.

A study published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution in 2018 highlighted the risks of abruptly halting solar geoengineering activities once they have commenced. Authored by researchers from the United States, it warned that stopping such interventions suddenly could result in the planet warming dramatically faster than it would naturally, posing severe risks to ecosystems and biodiversity. This means that even if it was discovered that geoengineering activities were causing serious harm, a gradual phase-out would be necessary to avoid catastrophic consequences.

Benefiting Pharma

Sun exposure has traditionally been the main contributor to vitamin D status in humans. When sunlight reaches the skin, vitamin D is produced naturally in the body. Deliberately dimming the sun could inevitably therefore have profound consequences for public health.

It is already widely recognized that insufficient sun exposure has become a real public health problem. In this respect, research suggests that 9.4 percent of all deaths in Europe and 12.8 percent of those in the United States can now be attributed to vitamin D deficiency. Studies link a lack of this nutrient with a myriad of acute and chronic illnesses including preeclampsia, childhood dental caries, periodontitis, autoimmune disorders, infectious diseases, cardiovascular disease, deadly cancers, type 2 diabetes, and neurological disorders.

As important as it is that the world moves towards a cleaner, less polluting way of living, this should not be done in such a way that it threatens the health of entire populations. The UK government’s expected approval of geoengineering experiments to dim sunlight marks a clear and profoundly dangerous step in the wrong direction. Long term, the primary beneficiary would be the pharmaceutical ‘business with disease.’ The plan should be vigorously opposed.

This article (With its Population Already Lacking Vitamin D, the UK is Set to Approve Experiments Aimed at Dimming Sunlight) was created and published by Dr. Rath Health Foundation and is republished here under “Fair Use” with attribution to the author Paul Anthony Taylor