A Sweden-based cosmetics company has proposed a bizarre new method to eliminate the need for streetlights - brighten the surface of the Moon.
The idea is to use materials already on the Moon to lighten its surface. The goal is to reflect slightly more sunlight onto Earth, making the night sky brighter, according to the company’s think-tank Foreo Institute. A brighter night sky would mean less need for streetlights, which could potentially translate to less electricity usage and thus fewer globe-warming carbon emissions, it said.
“We want to raise public awareness about the project and generate consciousness about the global energy crisis,” said Paul Peros, CEO of Foreo.
The proposal has a hint of “marketing scheme” to it, but precisely why the cosmetics company came up with this idea remains unclear, liveScience reported. When asked, a company representative told the website that Foreo is an “innovation company” that engages with experts from diverse fields.
However, scientists are skeptical about the idea.
“Making the Moon brighter is not something I’ve ever heard of in the geoengineering literature,” said Ben Kravitz, a postdoctoral researcher in the atmospheric sciences and global change division of Pacific Northwest National laboratory.