In the preeminent international weekly Science Magazine, journalist Eli Kintisch renewed the geoengineering debate: whether geoengineered techniques should be used to artificially lower global temperatures, climate change’s Plan B. Hypothetically, geoengineering can offset anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions but with it comes a high risk of unintended environmental consequences. Ultimately, the geoengineering conundrum hinges on the uncertain environmental effects of what the article calls “planet-hacking techniques.” One such conundrum is examined by physicist David Keith of the University of Calgary in Canada, spraying sulfuric acid droplets into the atmosphere would reduce solar radiation but also uncontrollably affect present rain and precipitation patterns. Such unpredictable, ungovernable effects further complicate the debate, as unilateral action by nations can affect global atmospheric conditions. Read the article here.
Search
From The GEG Blog
- Engaging Civil Society – Interview with Maria Ivanova (0)
- AASHE Conference on Campus Sustainability (0)
- Last chance to apply: Civil Society Advisory Group on IEG (2)
- New High-level Panel on Global Sustainability (0)
- UNEP Sasakawa Price 2011 – Nominations Now Open (0)
