Geoengineering

The term “geoengineering” means applying some sort of technology aimed at helping the planet to better support life as global conditions change, especially as temperatures rise.

In the years at 2GreenEnergy that we have been covering the subject, not too much has changed.  In particular, it remains a topic that is ultra-sensitive.  Even among climate scientists themselves, it’s so fraught with emotion that there are those who believe that it shouldn’t even be publicly discussed, lest it open the door to actions that, if taken, could have unintended consequences that actually accelerate the ruination of the only planet we have.

It’s easy to understand the cause for alarm, though it’s not hard to see the imperative to at least study the issue.  Largely due to our consumption of fossil fuels, our Earth has recently come to feature temperature records that have increasingly lethal consequences, especially to people living in countries that are essentially uninhabitable in summer in the absence of air conditioning, where power outages mean deaths via hyperthermia.

One of the main concepts under consideration in geoengineering, illustrated above courtesy of Wired Magazine, is pumping sulfur dioxide into our stratosphere whose molecules act as tiny mirrors, sending a certain percentage of the sun’s incoming radiation back into space.  That sounds plausible, but again, what are the known and unknown risks? Might that radiation have prevented the spread of disease-carrying insects? Might this effort somehow reduce crop yields in already challenged areas of the world?

Another thought here is that the mere discussion of geoengineering helps the fossil fuel industry to spread its deadly PR message of uncertainty: no one’s sure about global warming and its causes; the science is unclear. It’s a page from the play book of Big Tobacco of half a century ago: some scientists disagree that smoking causes lung cancer, and even if that weren’t the case, you have a right to proceed with whatever lifestyle you wish.

Given our current anti-government, anti-science zeitgeist, it’s easy to see it is to manipulate public opinion in this space.

Regardless of what happens over the coming years, there will always be sound bites for Big Oil’s public relations professionals to pick up upon.  Regardless of how many people die or become refugees, or how many temperature records are smashed, or how storms and floods ravage our societies, there is no scenario in which Big Oil simply goes away.  They are too rich, too powerful, and, astonishingly, completely indifferent to the massive amounts of suffering they are inflicting on our civilization.