High Hopes: The promises of geoengineering
June 17, 2017
Geographical’s regular look at the world of climate change. This month, Marco Magrini looks at geoengineering the planet
In the case of runaway climate change, can we hack the planet? A team of Harvard scientists is about to embark on a high-flying journey to find out. Aided by a balloon, next year they will sprinkle small quantities of tiny molecules into the stratosphere over Arizona in order to test humanity’s last resort in a rapidly warming world – solar geoengineering.
If the greenhouse effect, which keeps the Earth warm enough to be habitable, ends up going off balance, a radical solution may have to be found. And nothing could be as radical as deflecting part of the Sun’s electromagnetic radiation. Large volcanic eruptions work precisely that way, but the sulphate aerosols they spew out have the nasty side effect of destroying the ozone layer. ‘The quest is for a better molecule,’ says Harvard chemistry professor Frank Keutsch.
The team will start spraying the sky with a well-known substance – water. Then, they will proceed with molecules that are complete strangers to the atmosphere, such as calcium carbonate (which could also help heal the ozone layer), titanium, and even diamond dust.
So, are we going to solve our problems with carbon dioxide by using pure carbon? Unfortunately, geoengineering is just a finger in the dam. It can’t be a replacement for serious and committed actions to steer away from climate-damaging fossil fuels. The Arctic, our best and biggest thermometer, reported record-high temperatures in December and a record-low ice sheet in March. Then there’s the political climate, after a sudden energy policy shift in the world’s biggest economy. Hacking the planet can only be a choice of last resort.
