Could we actually cool the Earth? Scientists have recently begun to seriously consider ideas of solar geoengineering – such as reflecting the light of the sun back into space – given the rapid rate at which the Earth is warming. What do you think of these controversial ideas?
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https://geoengineering.environment.harvard.edu/get-involved
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Global warming continues to heat the Earth at an increasingly alarming pace, and some scientists have begun to suggest “geoengineering” the planet as a last resort to cool it down. Can we really cool the planet down, just like that, without side effects? Humans must reduce our carbon output and adopt green energy, as soon as possible, but shouldn’t we also consider backup plans in case we cannot achieve necessary CO2 reduction in time?
One backup proposal is to cool the planet artificially by reflecting more sunlight back into space. The sun’s energy comes to the planet as electromagnetic radiation. About 71% of this energy is absorbed by the Earth’s surface, oceans and atmosphere. This absorbed energy is emitted back as infrared radiation. However, carbon dioxide (CO2) traps this infrared radiation, keeping it in the atmosphere.
As more carbon enters the atmosphere, infrared radiation compounds, creating a greenhouse effect.
About 29% of the solar radiation coming from the sun is reflected back to space by bright surfaces on Earth such as snow and ice, clouds, and deserts. What if we could increase this amount of reflection, thereby trapping less carbon and effectively cooling the Earth?
One approach is simply to fly specialized planes into the stratosphere, spraying aerosolized sulfate particles in large quantities year after year. These aerosols would then disperse around the globe, ultimately producing the same effect as a volcano. This could essentially “buy us time” to eliminate fossil fuels and develop other technologies to remove the CO2 currently in the atmosphere.
Surprisingly, this comes at a relatively low price compared to the enormous cost of climate change. And we already have the technology to do this quite quickly. Other ideas to produce similar results include: Adding sea salt to clouds to increase their reflectivity, Launching giant space mirrors, and releasing microbubbles into the oceans to make their surface more reflective.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Cornell University, the University of Washington, and Rutgers University have all received grants for real-world tests and research into these approaches. At Harvard University, climate scientists are experimenting with a high-altitude balloon to spray a fine mist of various candidate particles into the stratosphere.
Sensors would then measure the particles’ reflectivity, the degree to which they disperse or combine, and the way they interact with other compounds in the atmosphere.If you think these ideas seem a bit risky, you aren’t alone. One obvious potential issue is that manipulating solar radiation could create massive changes in weather systems and rainfall patterns, which are largely driven by solar energy. This could create droughts, damage crops, and affect food supplies for billions of people. Global conflicts could arise among nations seeking to control this technology, given that the future of the world could be at stake.
Critics also argue that even suggesting or researching these methods creates a moral hazard, in that they could be used as an excuse to continue to use fossil fuels and not work towards reducing our emissions.
Additionally, atmospheric geoengineering wouldn’t reduce the amount of atmospheric carbon or alter our current output of it. We would still need to use emission reduction and carbon capture technologies in combination, or we’d have to keep this going indefinitely.
But given the dangerous rate at which we are warming the planet, we may not be able to reduce carbon emissions as much as needed. Ultimately, it is prudent to study geoengineering solutions, and all other approaches to halt or stop climate change, so we are ready to take drastic measures if required. Follow the links above to learn more about how you can get involved.
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