{"id":13203,"date":"2023-06-30T05:09:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-30T05:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/TheNextWeb=1397833"},"modified":"2023-06-30T05:09:00","modified_gmt":"2023-06-30T05:09:00","slug":"opinion-we-cant-engineer-ourselves-out-of-the-climate-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/?p=13203","title":{"rendered":"Opinion: We can\u2019t engineer ourselves out of the climate crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><span>Let\u2019s face it \u2014 climate change is humanity\u2019s greatest screw-up. We\u2019ve known about it for almost a century. The science is clear. And yet, we\u2019ve done nothing. It\u2019s a f**king embarrassment.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Now, finally, global leaders are scrambling to clean up the mess. But, even though most of the climate solutions we need already <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/technologies-to-manage-climate-change-already-exist-but-uk-needs-to-scale-up-efforts-urgently-127150\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">exist<\/a>, we can\u2019t seem to get our arses in gear to deploy them at the pace and scale required.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In short, the world is heating up, and we are failing to cool it down. Humans <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.iea.org\/news\/global-co2-emissions-rose-less-than-initially-feared-in-2022-as-clean-energy-growth-offset-much-of-the-impact-of-greater-coal-and-oil-use\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><span>emitted<\/span><\/a><span> more <\/span><span>CO<\/span><span>2<\/span><span> into the atmosphere last year than ever before (uh\u2026WTF?).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Understandably, leaders are scared shitless. Which is pushing them to explore some pretty dumb, and outright dangerous, ideas. One of their worst brainwaves is geoengineering \u2014 AKA playing God with the Earth\u2019s climate. (<\/span><span>\u201cGeoengineering\u201d as used here does not refer to carbon removal technologies which are, to the best of our knowledge, pretty legit.)<\/span><span>&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Some of these proposals include <\/span><span>brightening clouds, altering the ocean\u2019s chemistry, or shooting particles into the atmosphere to dim the light of the sun \u2014 what could go wrong?<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"inarticle-wrapper channel-cta\">\n<div class=\"ica-text\" readability=\"0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/crystals-jets-and-magnets-make-cooling-greener\" data-event-category=\"Article\" data-event-action=\"In Article Block\" data-event-label=\"Crystals, jets, and magnets \u2014 is this how to make cooling greener?\" target=\"_blank\" readability=\"4\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"ica-text__title\">Crystals, jets, and magnets \u2014 is this how to make cooling greener?<\/p>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>While these proposals might sound like something from a dystopian sci-fi flick, it\u2019s actually remarkably easy, and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2018\/nov\/23\/solar-geoengineering-could-be-remarkably-inexpensive-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><span>cheap<\/span><\/a><span>, to alter the Earth\u2019s climate.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Solar geoengineering is one of the more controversial of these \u201csolutions\u201d. Its most popular derivative, stratospheric aerosol injection, involves shooting dust into the atmosphere to reduce the amount of sunlight hitting the Earth\u2019s surface. The tech was inspired by volcanic clouds which have been known to cool the entire planet for years following a major eruption.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-1397843 size-full js-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/06\/solar-geoengineering-.jpg\" alt=\"solar-geoengineering\" width=\"1300\" height=\"924\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1300px) 100vw, 1300px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/06\/solar-geoengineering-.jpg 1300w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/06\/solar-geoengineering--280x199.jpg 280w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/06\/solar-geoengineering--190x135.jpg 190w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/06\/solar-geoengineering--380x270.jpg 380w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/06\/solar-geoengineering--796x566.jpg 796w\"><figcaption><a href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/solar-geoengineering-climate-crisis-europe#\" data-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Feditorial.thenextweb.com%2Fsustainability%2F2023%2F06%2F30%2Fsolar-geoengineering-climate-crisis-europe%2F&amp;via=thenextweb&amp;related=thenextweb&amp;text=Check out this picture on: Clouds increase the reflectivity of the Earth\u2019s surface. Stratospheric aerosol injection aims to replicate this effect by spraying dust into the upper atmosphere, in hopes to cool the climate. Credit: Woovii\/Getty Images\" data-title=\"Share Clouds increase the reflectivity of the Earth\u2019s surface. Stratospheric aerosol injection aims to replicate this effect by spraying dust into the upper atmosphere, in hopes to cool the climate. Credit: Woovii\/Getty Images on Twitter\" data-width=\"685\" data-height=\"500\" class=\"post-image-share popitup\" title=\"Share Clouds increase the reflectivity of the Earth\u2019s surface. Stratospheric aerosol injection aims to replicate this effect by spraying dust into the upper atmosphere, in hopes to cool the climate. Credit: Woovii\/Getty Images on Twitter\"><i class=\"icon icon--inline icon--twitter--dark\"><\/i><\/a>Clouds increase the reflectivity of the Earth\u2019s surface. Stratospheric aerosol injection aims to replicate this effect by spraying dust into the upper atmosphere, in hopes to cool the climate. Credit: Woovii\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-1397843 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/06\/solar-geoengineering-.jpg\" alt=\"solar-geoengineering\" width=\"1300\" height=\"924\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/06\/solar-geoengineering-.jpg 1300w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/06\/solar-geoengineering--280x199.jpg 280w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/06\/solar-geoengineering--190x135.jpg 190w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/06\/solar-geoengineering--380x270.jpg 380w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/06\/solar-geoengineering--796x566.jpg 796w\"><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p><span>While stratospheric aerosol injection could be remarkably effective in halting global heating, it might open a Pandora\u2019s box of problems. According to a recent UN <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unep.org\/news-and-stories\/story\/new-report-explores-issues-around-solar-radiation-modification\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><span>report<\/span><\/a><span>, i<\/span><span>nterfering in the globe\u2019s natural climate could damage the ozone layer, alter global rainfall patterns, and cause severe geopolitical tensions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>While proponents say solar geoengineering would be a short-term measure to combat warming, a recent study published in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scientificamerican.com\/article\/geoengineering-is-not-a-quick-fix-for-the-climate-crisis-new-analysis-shows\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><span>Scientific American<\/span><\/a><span> suggests that if politicians do decide to shoot dust into the atmosphere they could become dangerously dependent on it for \u201ccenturies or more.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>To put enough dust in the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2018\/nov\/23\/solar-geoengineering-could-be-remarkably-inexpensive-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><span>atmosphere<\/span><\/a><span> to curb warming could require tens of thousands of high-altitude flights per year. A sudden halt to this process could cause temperatures to skyrocket, potentially faster than life could adapt, a concept known as \u201ctermination shock.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Then there\u2019s the ethical issue that a techno-fix could take pressure off politicians and businesses to decarbonise as fast as possible.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Simply put, solar geoengineering could be the equivalent of a climate change band-aid.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Despite the risks, last year, the US government set up a five-year research programme exploring ways to reflect more sunlight back into space, setting the stage for further funding into the nascent technology.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Billionaires including Bill Gates, George Soros, and Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz have all expressed their interest, while 60 prominent scientists <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2023\/02\/27\/sunlight-reflection-solar-geoengineering-must-be-studied-scientists.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><span>want<\/span><\/a><span> to conduct small-scale solar geoengineering field experiments.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>There\u2019s even a startup, Make Sunsets, that is preselling carbon credits based on its promise to release sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere to curb warming.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1397844 js-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/06\/Make-Sunsets-solar-engineering.jpg\" alt width=\"922\" height=\"563\" sizes=\"(max-width: 922px) 100vw, 922px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/06\/Make-Sunsets-solar-engineering.jpg 922w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/06\/Make-Sunsets-solar-engineering-280x171.jpg 280w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/06\/Make-Sunsets-solar-engineering-221x135.jpg 221w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/06\/Make-Sunsets-solar-engineering-442x270.jpg 442w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/06\/Make-Sunsets-solar-engineering-796x486.jpg 796w\"><figcaption><a href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/solar-geoengineering-climate-crisis-europe#\" data-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Feditorial.thenextweb.com%2Fsustainability%2F2023%2F06%2F30%2Fsolar-geoengineering-climate-crisis-europe%2F&amp;via=thenextweb&amp;related=thenextweb&amp;text=Check out this picture on: US startup Make Sunsets was kicked out of Mexico for conducting unsanctioned tests of stratospheric aerosol injection. Several researchers at MIT Technology Review have condemned Make Sunsets, saying its efforts are \u201cwildly premature\u201d.\" data-title=\"Share US startup Make Sunsets was kicked out of Mexico for conducting unsanctioned tests of stratospheric aerosol injection. Several researchers at MIT Technology Review have condemned Make Sunsets, saying its efforts are \u201cwildly premature\u201d. on Twitter\" data-width=\"685\" data-height=\"500\" class=\"post-image-share popitup\" title=\"Share US startup Make Sunsets was kicked out of Mexico for conducting unsanctioned tests of stratospheric aerosol injection. Several researchers at MIT Technology Review have condemned Make Sunsets, saying its efforts are \u201cwildly premature\u201d. on Twitter\"><i class=\"icon icon--inline icon--twitter--dark\"><\/i><\/a>US startup Make Sunsets was kicked out of Mexico for conducting unsanctioned tests of stratospheric aerosol injection. Several researchers at MIT Technology Review have condemned Make Sunsets, saying its efforts are \u201cwildly premature\u201d.<\/figcaption><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1397844\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/06\/Make-Sunsets-solar-engineering.jpg\" alt width=\"922\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/06\/Make-Sunsets-solar-engineering.jpg 922w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/06\/Make-Sunsets-solar-engineering-280x171.jpg 280w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/06\/Make-Sunsets-solar-engineering-221x135.jpg 221w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/06\/Make-Sunsets-solar-engineering-442x270.jpg 442w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/06\/Make-Sunsets-solar-engineering-796x486.jpg 796w\"><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p><span>The precautionary principle \u2014 or \u201cif in doubt, leave it out,\u201d to ordinary folks \u2014 is one of the fundamental premises of sound environmental decision-making, and one that we ought to heed going forward.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In a potentially positive step, the EU <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/environment\/eu-warns-rising-climate-fuelled-conflict-risks-geoengineering-draft-2023-06-26\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><span>announced<\/span><\/a><span> this week a call for talks at the \u201chighest international level\u201d <\/span><span>on the risks posed by the possible use of climate geoengineering<\/span><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThese technologies introduce new risks to people and ecosystems, while they could also increase power imbalances between nations, spark conflicts and raises a myriad of ethical, legal, governance and political issues,\u201d <\/span><span>said EU officials in a joint communication on Wednesday.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"c-richText__pullQuote\" readability=\"29\">\n<div class=\"c-richText__pullQuoteGradient\" readability=\"32\">\n<p class=\"c-richText__pullQuoteQuote\"> \u201cWe cannot solve our problems with the same thinking that created them. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>While the EU is taking a precautionary approach, it is not outright against the technologies and seeks to create \u201crules\u201d for governing them.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Others are taking a harder line.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In a statement issued last year, Frank Biermann from Utrecht University\u2019s Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, warned that \u201cthe risks of solar geoengineering are poorly understood and can never be fully known.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Biermann is the leader of a group of renowned climate scientists calling for a non-use agreement on solar geoengineering. In other words, a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uu.nl\/en\/news\/call-for-non-use-agreement-solar-geoengineering\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><span>worldwide ban<\/span><\/a><span> on its development.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cResearch on solar geoengineering is not the preparation of a Plan B to prevent climate disaster, as its advocates argue. It will instead simply delay and derail current global climate policies,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cMoreover, the current system of international institutions is incapable of effectively regulating the deployment of this technology on a global scale. Solar geoengineering is no solution.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>I couldn\u2019t agree more, professor. By playing God with the climate we not only risk worsening our predicament, but we also send a dangerous message \u2014 that humans can simply engineer their way out of their problems, rather than fix them at the root (think <\/span><span>widespread cultural, social, and political transformation<\/span><span>).&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>As Einstein famously quipped: \u201c<\/span><span>We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking that created them<\/span><span>.\u201d&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/solar-geoengineering-climate-crisis-europe\">Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Let\u2019s face it \u2014 climate change is humanity\u2019s greatest screw-up. We\u2019ve known about it for almost a century. The science is clear. And yet, we\u2019ve done nothing. It\u2019s a f**king embarrassment.&nbsp; Now,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13204,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13203"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13203"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13203\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13204"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13203"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}