• 0 Posts
  • 4 Comments
Joined 2 years ago
cake
Cake day: July 8th, 2023

help-circle

  • Or destroying the ozone layer.

    Up to 4-5 Starlink satellites now burn up in Earth’s atmosphere daily, releasing aluminum oxide particles that catalyze ozone destruction. Each 250kg satellite releases about 30 kg of aluminum oxide when it burns up, forming nanoparticles that persist in the stratosphere for 20–30 years, continuously damaging the ozone layer. With plans for up to 42,000 Starlink satellites (plus thousands more from other companies) all on 5-year replacement cycles, annual reentries could exceed 8,000 by the 2030s, adding 360 metric tons of aluminum oxide per year, 640% above natural levels.

    The Montreal Protocol, which successfully phased out CFCs and enabled ozone recovery, does not cover aluminum oxide pollution from satellites. The FCC currently categorizes satellites as “extraterritorial activities” exempt from National Environmental Policy Act review, meaning no environmental assessment is required before launch approval. By the time the full impacts appear in the 2040s–2050s, the damage could be irreversible.



  • localhost001@lemmy.worldtomemes@lemmy.worldIt's the better way
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    5
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    12 days ago

    Exactly. For a lot of people, the end of the day is your time. The beginning of the day is just getting ready and going to work. It serves the interest of the corporate employers to put more daylight (so to speak) at the start of the workday rather than letting us have that daylight for ourselves after work. It’s daylight theft!