Word has it that Microsoft founder Bill Gates has given more money to geoengineering research, this time through a US research group that goes by the name of the Silver Lining Project. The news first appeared in the Times and was then trumpeted by geoengineering opponents at the ETC Group.

Given that the article in the Times merely states that the money is being used to develop machines that could spray ultra-fine droplets of seawater into the air, it’s hard to see any immediate threat of large-scale experiments. But in the view of opponents – including the newly formed and cleverly named group Hands Off Mother Earth – it’s a slippery slope and must be avoided altogether. The ETC Group is pushing for an all out ban on geoengineering experiments at a current meeting of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, which issued a confusing call to halt most ocean fertilization experiments in 2008 (Reuters).

The Silver Lining Project lists various respectable institutions as collaborators, but the website is sparse on data and offers no confirmation of funding from Gates. Several outlets, including Discover Magazine, have picked up on the news, but if you follow the trail they all ultimately lead back to the original Times story or the ETC Group’s release.

For a bit of background, see our most recent story on a geoengineering conference in California. And for a closer look at cloud whitening in particular – also featuring Armand Neukermans (one “n” not two) – check out the October issue of Scientific American.