Scientists seek international authority on climate geoengineering

Yahoo News ^ | 2/15/15 | Jean-Louis Santini - AFP

[NormsRevenge]

San José (United States) (AFP) - US scientists and legal experts are calling for a strong, international authority to regulate any man-made interventions meant to combat global warming, amid fears that the technology could be harmful to the environment.

The field known as geoengineering is not currently regulated by any institution or treaty, Edward Parson, professor of environmental law at the University of California, Los Angeles, explained Saturday.

"If some nations decide this year to embark on a crude untested experimental attempt to do it, we cannot prevent it," Parsons said in San Jose, California at the American Society for the Advancement of Science's (AAAS) annual meeting.

The lawyer called for creation of an international institution with authority to make decisions related to geoengineering, adding that "some favor a UN body, some favor smaller discussions among great powers or some favor a transnational NGO."

Geoengineering, which covers an array of climate manipulation, includes everything from reflecting sunlight from the Earth's surface to sucking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.

The topic made headlines last week when the US National Academy of Sciences released two reports by a committee of experts calling for more research into geoengineering and warning that the technology, at present, could pose significant risks.

The scientists also emphasized that the technology could be no substitute for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the most sound approach to fighting global warming.

But geoengineering should be explored in depth, in case of need in the future, the committee said.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

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