Posted by
BLOGASSAULT on Monday, November 02, 2009 2:50:05 PM
After reading this
NY Times article on geoengineering, you have to wonder if these scientists are grasping at straws. Depending on which type of geoengineering idea you like, it seems possible these scientists could actually make matters worse regarding the climate.
The first category includes proposals to shoot sulfate particles into the upper atmosphere, creating a cooling haze that mimics the effects of a volcanic eruption, and a similar plan to use thousands of special ships to spew sea salt into the sky, encouraging the formation of clouds. Scientists believe many approaches in this category could cool the Earth rapidly -- but they might produce unacceptable side effects.
"The risks are so high with some of these reflection options," said Tim Lenton, a professor of Earth system science at the University of East Anglia. "We need to do more research, but we need to reserve them for use in case of emergency."
There are also engineering challenges to overcome. Because sulfate doesn't linger in the atmosphere, temperatures would shoot up quickly if injections ended before the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere stabilized at a safe level -- meaning that the world would likely have to commit to continue geoengineering for generations.
That sounds like a nightmare; an expensive nightmare.
"The thing that's always frustrated me," said Philip Boyd, a professor of ocean biochemistry at the University of Otago in New Zealand, is that geoengineering "has great press coverage. It has that science fiction component that makes good copy. But there's been precious little or no science done."
David Keith, the University of Calgary scientist, agreed. "The actual number of real, serious science done on this topic is pitifully small," he said.
Until recently, all these ideas were considered science fiction. The fact is, if it comes to the point were we have to use these kind of methods, it is probably to late anyway. Sounds to me like these scientists are looking for some funding. They should first
sign the wall.