Why we urgently need to talk about geoengineering
We are heading for a future that is so hot that we cannot simply continue as usual. Along the way, there is a very high risk of triggering “tilting points” that would worsen climate chaos. Given our inability to reduce carbon emissions, the attraction of geo-engineering to cool the planet increases-but is this the right thing to do?
As we report in “geo-engineering could avoid the climate switch points, but not if we delay”, some researchers go to the idea that the pumping of aerosols reflecting sunlight in the stratosphere could prevent tipping points such as the closure of vital ocean currents. But the risks of geo-engineering are enormous.
To start, there is no prospect of obtaining an international agreement on this subject soon, but if a country did it alone, things could be very bad, changing precipitation in the world, for example. And if a nation felt that it was injured by the geo-engineering of another, we could find ourselves in a climate war in which geo-engineering is used as a weapon.
Even if there was an agreement, things would be far from simple. It is bad, geo-engineering could worsen things, no better. There has been much too little computer modeling and real tests of all the ideas of geo-engineering for us in order to have the confidence that they will take place as planned.
We could end up in a climate war in which geo-engineering is used as a weapon
The fact is that the clock turns. The sooner we start geoengineering, the best are the chances of avoiding dangerous shift points. This is an option that we should at least explore.
However, many scientists are opposed to doing research on geo-engineering. A fear is that it is used as an excuse so as not to cut carbon dioxide emissions. However, this argument has less swinging in a world where the American president Donald Trump reveals climate action without worrying about an excuse of any kind whatsoever (see “What is the fallout from the” Big Beautiful Big Big Big “of Trump?”).
Geo -engineering can be a terrible idea – but we will only know if we are doing much more research. The time to do it is now, before we are forced to take drastic measures without robust science to guide us.
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