Geoengineering getting a second look?

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Wed, Apr 08 2009 at 11:40 AM

The world needs a back-up plan to combat climate change using some long-controversial techniques, earth scientists told the UK’s Independent in a recent poll. The failure so far of international action to halt the growth of emissions has cast doubt on nations' ability to meaningfully address climate change. As a result, 54 percent of the scientists polled by the newspaper now embrace the pursuit of geo-engineering technologies that intervene directly into the natural cycles of the earth.

These methods include stimulating algae growth in oceans to take CO2 out of the air and pumping water vapor or sulphate particles into the air over oceans to keep sunlight from getting through, which would (theoretically) decrease global temperatures. The possible technologies also could involve more alien interventions, such as sending mirrors into space to deflect sunlight from Earth.

All geo-engineering technologies have serious problems and uncertainties, and just about all of them have been frowned upon for at least a decade. But the psychological climate might be adjusting itself to match geological conditions. Though temperatures in 2008 were slightly cooler than average, earth scientists recorded more unstable weather patterns, which cause more extreme and unpredictable events along the lines of hurricanes and tornadoes.

Virtually all climate scientists agree that any “plan B” would require lots of research and experimentation to guarantee that the carbon uptake initiated by any geoengineering projects doesn’t throw any other ecosystem out of order. The geoscientists agree, too, that these technological interventions should be seen as a last resort, not as a replacement for conventional methods of combating climate change, such as adopting clean energy alternatives. Even so, the idea of fertilizing the ocean with iron filaments to promote plankton blooms may be moving ahead the fastest. Der Spiegel reports that a ship will sail this month to Antarctica, where an Indian-German team will stimulate the largest artificial algal bloom to date. Algae, which suck carbon dioxide out of the air as they grow, require certain sets of nutrients to bloom in large quantities. The most limited of those nutrients is iron, so the plan is to dump iron particles in regions of the ocean that meet all the other conditions needed for algae to grow. A Silicon-Valley based company, called Climos, has also carefully been conducting test fertilizations in the hopes of building support for its algae scheme. As the clean tech trends of 2009 unfold, we'll keep an eye on whether these fairly extreme technological fixes gain more funding and support.

Story by Sandra Upson. This article originally appeared in "Plenty" in January 2009.

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Comments: 4

Brad Arnold Apr 09 2009 at 11:11 AM

Any carbon diet strategy would be dependent upon clean coal: "The vast majority of new power stations in China and India will be coal-fired; not "may be coal-fired"; will be. So developing carbon capture and storage technology is not optional, it is literally of the essence." --"Breaking the Climate Deadlock," Tony Blair, June 26, 2008 But, Vaclav Smil, an energy expert at the University of Manitoba, has estimated that capturing and burying just 10 percent of the carbon dioxide emitted over a year

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from coal-fire plants at current rates would require moving volumes of compressed carbon d ioxide greater than the total annual flow of oil worldwide -- a massive undertaking requiring decades and trillions of dollars. "Beware of the scale," he stressed." "Contrary to the conventional wisdom that China is outpacing the rest of the world in building coal plants, the International Energy Agency has projected that between 2011 and 2020 the OECD (most of Europe plus the U.S.), with 150 million fewer people than China, will build 10 percent more coal capacity than China (184 GW for the OECD vs. 168 GW for China)." --"Schwarzenegger's folly," Gristmill, 16 Oct 2008 The world's emissions of the main planet-warming gas carbon dioxide will rise over 50 percent to more than 42 billion tonnes per year from 2005 to 2030 as China leads a rise in burning coal, the U.S. government forecast on Wednesday. China's coal demand will rise 3.2 percent annually from 2005 to 2030, the Energy Information Administration said in its International Energy Outlook 2008. --Reuters, 26 June 2008

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Brad Arnold Apr 09 2009 at 5:07 PM

We are already living in a "fool's climate" where our short-lived sun dimming pollution is cooling us down about 1 to 2 degrees C. There is a simple and cheap way to immediately cool down the Earth: just add a little (more) sun dimming aerosol to the upper atmosphere. It can be reversed rapidly by just discontinuing use. "I'm going to tell you something I probably shouldn't: we may not be able to stop global warming. We need to begin curbing global greenhouse emissions right now, but more than

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a decade after the signing of the Kyoto Protocol, the world has utterly failed to do so. Unless the geopolitics of global warming change soon, the Hail Mary pass of geoengineering might become our best shot." --Bryan Walsh, Time Magazine, 17 March 2008 "The alternative (to geoengineering) is the acceptance of a massive natural cull of humanity and a return to an Earth that freely regulates itself but in the hot state." --Dr James Lovelock, August 2008

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Joey Apr 09 2009 at 9:54 AM

Isn't the whole reason behind the 'green' movement to 'Save Mother Earth', and return her to her natural state??? So more human intervention (on a mammoth scale) is supposed to somehow 'trick' mother nature into behaving differently?

I forsee dire consequences in our future if this goes through.

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Michael Bedar Apr 08 2009 at 1:43 PM

Being vegan will stop global warming. Every day of eating only plants is like taking millions of cars off the road. Listen to Chairman Pachauri. Listen to Professor James Hansen of NASA. Listen to the University of Chicago's Professors Eshel and Martin. Read "Livestock's Long Shadow" in the Environmental Issues and Options Journal. We do more to relieve the greenhouse effect by the simple and delightful lifestyle step of going vegan than by never using electricity again. The choice is so clear.

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Get out of delusion! The global warming solution, and of course delicious and healthy, is go plant-source only.