British Scientists Claim Global Warming Devastation Unavoidable without Geoengineering-


Britain’s deep-rooted academy of science, The Royal Society of London, has released a report which claims that current attempts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will not offer an appropriate environmental counterbalance in time to prevent major climatic catastrophe. The academy asserts that, in order to sustain ecological stability and avoid possible devastation from climatic reaction, calculated engineering of the earth’s atmosphere may be essential. Geoengineering, defined by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences as “options that would involve large-scale engineering of our environment in order to combat or counteract the effects of changes in atmospheric chemistry”, is split into two groups within the report; projects which remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and projects which would alleviate the amount of solar radiation permitted to enter the atmosphere. The more popular of the two methods are carbon sequestration – or capture, which involves storage devices or absorption methods like plankton and other plant matter that utilize CO2 during photosynthesis. Researchers have discovered that seeding the ocean with iron dust would encourage the development of zooplankton, which trap and store carbon dioxide in their bodies throughout life before passing away to remain on the ocean floor or be eaten by predators; however, the ecological impact this may cause is not yet known. Other plans involve artificial trees to trap carbon and pump it underground into caverns where natural gas and oil reserves once were, which is considered the most environmentally-sound route. However despite the contrary, if the underground storage areas were to rupture for any reason the aftermath could be potentially destructive.

The second geoengineering process is solar radiation management, which would direct the amount of heat allowed to infiltrate the earth’s atmosphere. This may be accomplished by inserting solar shields in space, enhancing clouds with chemicals which would boost reflectivity, seeding the atmosphere with aerosols that reflect sunlight, as well as layering buildings, streets and deserts with reflective materials. Solar radiation management, being moderately inexpensive, would work to tackle the devastating effects of climate change and offer an overall reduction in global temperatures in about two years time. The management of solar radiation does not place any focus on rapidly rising levels of CO2 in the atmosphere, however, leaving plaguing issues such as ocean acidification untouched. To add, the process does not deal with global warming and other deadly atmospheric gases at their source; consequently, methodical supervision would be required as severe atmospheric changes are imminent when taking such an active role in global weatherization. Due to these details, the Royal Society endorses solar radiation management as a practical means in conjunction with carbon dioxide removal and emissions reduction. Nonetheless, the report cites that the legal issues behind geoengineering currently create more difficulty than the technical challenges that may lie ahead. Whereas technologies such as artificial trees may be managed under existing laws, applications like permeating aerosols into the atmosphere cover incredibly diverse political ground which may take many decades to reach mutual understanding. According to the report, very few legally binding agreements are in place to support trans-boundary geoengineering, and it is not clear where liability would fall in the event of an unintended disaster.