| Volume 12 | No. 2 | Spring 2010 |
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Dialogue
What is the potential for geoengineering to help solve global warming? |
Many scientists support research to determine whether geoengineering—technologies that alter the land, ocean, or atmosphere to “fix” some of the consequences of global warming—can work in the real world. While feasibility may be geoengineering’s biggest hurdle, there are several other factors and risks that must be considered.
For example, the October 2009 book SuperFreakonomics highlighted one geoengineering proposal in which tiny particles would be injected into the atmosphere, under the premise that they would cool Earth’s surface by reflecting incoming sunlight back to space. This strategy, however, does not address the root cause of global warming; if our heat-trapping emissions continue to increase, light-blocking particles would only provide temporary relief (because gases such as carbon dioxide remain in the atmosphere much longer). Plus, this strategy could hurt agriculture, as plants require sunlight to grow.
Because many geoengineering proposals do not directly reduce the concentration of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere, they also fail to address important problems associated with global warming. For example, as oceans absorb more carbon from the atmosphere they become more acidic, which can harm marine ecosystems.
To address the global warming crisis effectively, we need a comprehensive and complementary set of strategies to reduce heat-trapping emissions. We must consider not only the practical costs of new technological “fixes” but also their potential for serious side effects or unintended consequences. To learn more about global warming science and solutions, visit the UCS website at www.ucsusa.org/global-warming-faq.html.
Also in this issue of Earthwise:
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A New Tool for Hybrid Buyers
