What is Geoengineering, is it a futuristic idea or a doomsday recipe?

Every year, 50 billion tons of greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere. This drastically alters the climate and atmosphere of the Earth, and not for the better. Lately, many scientists have proposed ‘geoengineering’, a futuristic idea, that supposedly has the potential to save the Earth from global warming’s frightening consequences.

Introduction 

The term “geoengineering” may sound like some idea straight out of a science fiction movie because of its futuristic nature or an obscure academic journal. But in reality, geoengineering is one of the fastest-growing fields in climate research and is currently being discussed by scientists, governments, environmental activists, businesses, and the general public around the world. Geoengineering—or large-scale environmental interventions designed to counter anthropogenic climate change—may seem like something from a distant future we hope will never be necessary. However, as global temperatures continue to rise due to human activities such as greenhouse gas emissions from cars and power plants, it is becoming more and more urgent for us to explore geoengineering as a possible solution for our looming environmental crisis. If you are interested in learning more about what geoengineering is and its potential risks and benefits for humanity, keep reading. 

What is Geoengineering? 

Geoengineering, which, at first glance seems like a futuristic idea, is actually a relatively broad term used to describe any effort to artificially alter the Earth’s natural systems, such as the atmosphere and oceans, in an effort to mitigate the effects of climate change. Geoengineering methods can be divided into two categories: Engineering and Environmental Intervention. Engineering methods attempt to alter the climate system by mimicking how nature already works. This includes things like carbon capture and storage (CCS), which tries to mimic nature by taking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. As an alternative to CCS, geoengineering methods can also try to actively reduce greenhouse gas emissions by removing heat from the atmosphere with a process called “radiative cooling.” 

Also Read – The Simulation Theory | Do We Really Exist or Is Our ‘Reality’ a Mere Simulation

Why Do We Need Geoengineering? 

Geoengineering is one of the most fascinating and potentially life-changing new fields of scientific research today. While science has always had the ability to influence our environment, it has never been able to control it. However, current climate change models predict that to have any chance of staying under a 1.5 degree Celsius limit for global warming, we will need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by almost over 80%. This and other research have led many experts to suggest that the only way to reduce these emissions is to attempt to geoengineer the atmosphere. 

Benefits of Geoengineering

Geoengineering certainly sounds like a lifesaver, and maybe it is.  

Fixing the climate 

Geoengineering has the potential to reduce planetary greenhouse gas emissions to “net zero” on a timescale of several centuries. The climate of the planet would stay more or less the same, but it would no longer warm up as much because there would be no more greenhouse gases in excess. 

Saving The Planet 

Because of the dangers posed by a warming planet, many experts predict that if we don’t geoengineer, we are likely going to see a disastrous rise in sea levels, along with other severe consequences. 

Optimizing Agriculture 

Farmers around the world are currently suffering from increased temperatures, decreased rainfall, and other negative effects of climate change, and geoengineering could help them out by reducing the impacts of global warming on their crops. 

Development Of New Technologies 

Geoengineering research, since it’s a futuristic idea, is driving the development of new technologies that will be crucial for future human settlements, such as advanced weather-modification systems that could optimize agriculture or help cities deal with extreme flooding. 

Interesting – Is The World On The Verge Of An Electronic Apocalypse?

The Frightening Risks of Geoengineering

Geoengineering may seem to be a futuristic idea with unbelievable benefits, however, with every rose, come thorns. There can be several potentially world-ending consequences of geoengineering that have to be foreseen before any significant attempt at geoengineering is made.  

Accidents Could Turn the World Into a Frozen Wasteland 

While geoengineering has the potential to fix many of the problems caused by global warming, it could also have catastrophic consequences if it were to go wrong. As we can see from the Chernobyl disaster, nuclear power has the potential to cause severe accidents that could have a wide-ranging impact on the planet. Geoengineering could potentially have the same effect, if done at a large scale, globally.  

We May Never Find a Perfect Solution 

Even if we successfully reduced greenhouse gas emissions to “net zero,” this would not be the end of the world. If the climate was able to return to a more natural equilibrium state over the next few thousand years, then this would not mean that the world would become uninhabitable again. However, if we permanently altered the climate system in a way that made it more difficult for plants to produce oxygen, then we would be facing a serious problem.  

Another Perspective – Why geoengineering is still a dangerous, techno-utopian dream

We Could End Up Like Venus 

One geoengineering method talked about widely, is aerosol injections. In 1991, Mount Pinatubo, a volcano, erupted, releasing large amounts of sulfur dioxide. Sulfur Dioxide, that high up in the atmosphere, produced a haze, that when mixed with water, created a kind of blanket for the earth’s atmosphere, reducing global temperatures by 0.5 degree Celsius. Scientists noted that the effect lasted for almost 2 decades before its effects dissipated. Aerosol Injections plan to do exactly that, release sulfur dioxide in the stratosphere, in larger amounts, to control global warming until we find a solution to reduce carbon emissions globally. However, when Mount Pinatubo erupted, it cooled down the surface but heated up the stratosphere. It turned out that the atmosphere doesn’t fancy acid, and it created the notorious “hole in the ozone layer” over Antarctica. Spreading sulfur particles in the atmosphere over the decades could have a similar effect. Venus has similar sulfur particles in its atmosphere, 90km above the surface. Scientists recently proposed that Venus’s inhabitants could have tried aerosol injections themselves, but it didn’t turn out so lucky for them.  

Creating a Room for Doomsday Conspiracies

A rogue scientist or a politician can use the technology to satisfy their whims and fancies, much like we see in Hollywood movies. They may also use this knowledge to blackmail the rest of the world into submission. Such planet changing technologies can set off a geopolitical storm and an irreversible race for access to them. There are endless sinister possibilities some going even beyond imagination.

Unintended Consequences 

Even if we do manage to geoengineer the climate and fix our problems, this might not be the end of the story. Scientists are still unsure of the exact consequences of geoengineering the climate, and we may find that our technology has unintended consequences. 

Also Read – Google’s LaMDA – Truly Sentient or Just a Clout-Gaining Hoax on The Internet

Here is an interesting take on geoengineering on YouTube by Kurzgesagt – In A Nutshell

Conclusion 

Geoengineering is a technology that could have huge benefits for humanity if used correctly. However, it could also have irreversible consequences if we fail to fully understand its risks. Governments and scientists must conduct thorough research into geoengineering to ensure that it is used responsibly, to avoid potential risks, and to have the greatest potential benefit for future generations.