Chaff in the Atmosphere: the Danger of Quick Fixes

authordefault
on

Thanks to Ruben for pointing us to this excellent piece by Guardian columnist Georgeย Monbiot.

Monbiot offers a little sober second thought on the notion of broadcasting particles into the stratosphere to reflect enough solar energy to keep the world temperature manageable, despite the increased warming effect of rising CO2ย levels.

There is something elegantly simple about the proposal to set up a particulate sunscreen; I found it reassuring when I first heard of a variation on this engineered solution from Gregory Benford at the Skeptics Society conference at CalTech. But as Monbiot points out, by implication at least, human – nd even moreso, our governments – seldom get into trouble for the things that we do on purpose. It’s the unintended, and usually unanticipated,ย consequences of our actions that always create the biggestย problems.

Given the pace of warming and the risks, we certainly must continue to think about creative solutions. But there are questions to answer (and cars to park) before we start launching sunscreening particles into theย atmosphere.

authordefault
Admin's short bio, lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur adipisicing elit. Voluptate maxime officiis sed aliquam! Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur adipisicing elit.

Related Posts

on

Warren Stephensโ€™ family firm has at least $250 million invested in the food and agriculture sector.

Warren Stephensโ€™ family firm has at least $250 million invested in the food and agriculture sector.
on

Desperation, bad advice and lobbying likely underpinning the provinceโ€™s plan to blend hydrogen with natural gas for home heating.

Desperation, bad advice and lobbying likely underpinning the provinceโ€™s plan to blend hydrogen with natural gas for home heating.
on

With energy projects nationwide still in limbo, companies impacted by Trump-era โ€œreviewโ€ left searching for answers on unfinished projects.

With energy projects nationwide still in limbo, companies impacted by Trump-era โ€œreviewโ€ left searching for answers on unfinished projects.
on

Analyses of top podcasts show a trend of climate change denial and misinformation.

Analyses of top podcasts show a trend of climate change denial and misinformation.