Beam me to Planet Gore !
Posted on 06/18/2009 9:24:45 AM PDT by bintenn
Engineering our climate to stop global warming may seem like science fiction, but at a recent National Academy of Sciences meeting, scientists discussed some potential geoengineering experiments in earnest.
Climate researcher Ken Caldeira was skeptical when he first heard about the idea of shading the Earth a decade ago in a talk by nuclear weapons scientist Lowell Wood.
"He basically said, 'We don't have to bother with emissions reduction. We can just throw aerosols — little dust particles — into the stratosphere, and that'll cool the earth.' And I thought, 'Oh, that'll never work,' " Caldeira said.
But when Caldeira sat down to study this, he was surprised to discover that, yes, it would work, and for the very same reasons that big volcanoes cool the Earth when they erupt. Fine particles in the stratosphere reflect sunlight back into space. And doing it would be cheap, to boot.
Caldeira conducts research on climate and carbon cycles at the Carnegie Institution at Stanford University. During the past decade, he said, talk about this idea has moved from cocktail parties to very sober meetings, like the workshop this week put on by the National Academy of Sciences.
"Frankly, I'm a little ambivalent about all this," he said during a break in the meeting. "I've been pushing very hard for a research program, but it's a little scary to me as it becomes more of a reality that we might be able to toy with our environment, or our whole climate system at a planetary scale."
Attempting to geoengineer a climate fix raises many questions, like when you would even consider trying it. Caldeira argued that we should have the technology at the ready if there's a climate crisis, such as collapsing ice sheets or drought-induced famine. At the academy's meeting, Harvard University's Dan Schrag agreed with that — up to a point.
"I think we should consider climate engineering only as an emergency response to a climate crisis, but I question whether we're already experiencing a climate crisis — whether we've already crossed that threshold," Schrag said.
In reality, carbon-dioxide emissions globally are on a runaway pace, despite rhetoric promising to control them. University of Calgary's David Keith suggested that we should consider moving toward experiments that would test ideas on a global scale — and do it sooner rather than later.
"It's not clear that during some supposed climate emergency would be the right time to try this new and unexplored technique," Keith said.
And experiments could create disasters. Alan Robock of Rutgers University cataloged a long list of risks. Particles in the stratosphere that block sunlight could also damage the ozone layer, which protects us from harsh ultraviolet light. Or altering the stratosphere could reduce precipitation in Asia, where it waters the crops that feed 2 billion people.
Imagine if we triggered a drought and famine while trying to cool the planet, Robock said. On the plus side, it's also possible that diffusing sunlight could end up boosting agriculture, he said.
"We need to evaluate all these different, contrasting impacts to see whether it really would have an effect on food or not," he said. "Maybe it's a small effect. We really don't know that yet. We need more research on that."
Thought experiments to date have focused primarily on the risks of putting sulfur dust in the stratosphere. There are many other geoengineering ideas — like making clouds brighter by spraying seawater particles into the air. But none of them is simple.
"I don't think there is a quick and easy answer to employing even one of those quick and cheap and easy solutions," said social scientist Susanne Moser.
There's no mechanism in place to reach a global consensus about doing this — and a consensus seems unlikely in any event. Who gets to decide where to set the global thermostat? And will this simply become an excuse not to control our emissions to begin with? These were all questions without answers at the academy's meeting.
Scientist debate theory of fixing global warming by filling atmosphere with "areosols"
Whoa.. hold on there Frances. I was born at night, but not last night.
I'm old enough to recall the 'War on aerosols'. Aerosols were going to destroy all life on earth by creating a 'Greenhouse effect' (aka GLOBAL WARMING). The temps would be about 120oF. in Nome, Alaska (/s) and we'd all DIE from the Heat. Plus, those evil aerosols would eat the Ozone Layer and we'd all get skin cancer and die from that too -- or grow a third arm from the Radiation. [can't recall exactly :-)]
I wish these 'experts' would all get the same memo. This is getting way too confusing.
All attempts to subdue hurricanes were abandon from fear of ambulance chasing lawyers. If you mess with the weather, even if the results are good, you will be sued by every lawyer who can find someone harmed by any weather in the world. Sun burn, catching a cold, dust blown by wind into eye, etc.
Lawyers f up everything.
And besides; what global warming?
I could be mistaken, but I bet if they asked for a grant, the government just might give them one!
In reality, carbon-dioxide emissions globally are on a runaway pace,
Says who?
Am I going to let someone tinker with the climate of earth when I know what growing conditions were like a number of years after Krakatoa, and less so after, Penatubo, Mt. whats its name, etc.
Could we set up a zone for ultra arrogant God candidates, who want to have the power without the responsibility. I think the zone should have bars on the doors and padded cells with lots of busy work to keep their minds occupied.
Too much free time, I’d say.
My thought also...these "aerosols" are described as little dust particles. The smoking gun here is the GAS needed to project or "throw" them into the stratosphere. You will need Volcanic force akin to a reverse Atomic bomb....the picture of these questionable brains is frightening.....
Isn't actually doing something missing the point?
Nail-on-Head Time!
Well, this might work, but only if Obama can spend a trillion dollars on a new Department of Throwing Dirt Into the Atmosphere after Congress passes the 2009 Omnibus Throwing Dirt Into the Atmosphere To Save the Children Act, and Al Gore and his pals figure out a way to make more money out of it.
Great idea! Let's drive our June temperatures into the 30's, 50-some degree days aren't cool enough.
Question: does this “year without a summer” prove or disprove “Global Warming”?
First he will create the position of Throwing Dirt Into the Atmosphere Czar!
Didn't these people get aerosols banned?
Global cooling trend since peak in 1998 is in. Crops will be down this year....rain and cool temps still prevail in US. Govt. aerosol plan in the name of anything is a dangerous boondoggle. Successful cooling measures in the face of a period of global cooling could produce great famine..we might get famine anyway without govt. interference.
A useful site for daily info re global cooling and US temperature records on the downside set this year thru this month are at:
http://www.iceagenow.com/ Take a scroll.
The climate on this planet was not mean't to be artificially engineered by man and I believe that any attempt to do so will have disasterous consequences.
Unless the AGWers can locate where the extra heat is hiding out, it doesn't exist. It could be hiding deep in the ocean, but to date no temperature survey has located it. It takes a tremendous amount of energy to warm an ocean 1 degree. There's no way this much energy could hide.
Climate is modulated mostly by clouds, the most common aerosol. Man engineers dams, lakes, rivers to control the second half of the rain cycle. Very little fresh water makes it to the sea anymore without a small group of mostly conservative male engineers deciding when and where. Influencing the first half of the rain cycle is not that much different. While playing with the global climate is foolish, creating man-made clouds for water and weather control is a local issue. Most clouds exist lower than where airplanes fly and rain out within 20 miles, so each state can decide their own climate without UN control.
Global warming?
Here in MA it’s barely hit 70 since last summer.
Just like kudzu controlled erosion in the South.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.