Can we engineer the climate system?

With no action agreed by the recent G20 meeting, there is still no sign that we are even beginning to control emissions, let alone reduce them by the target of at least 50 per cent by 2050, widely regarded as the minimum necessary to avoid that. Some people are therefore now suggesting that we should seriously consider geoengineering — that is, intervening directly to engineer the climate system, so as to moderate the rise of temperature.

Is this possible? How? At a reasonable cost? Without undesirable side-effects? Who could do it? Who should control it?

It is to answer just these questions that the Royal Society has set up a study group on geoengineering climate. Without the answers there will be no way to take sensible decisions on this issue, based on evidence and facts rather than beliefs and suppositions (either for or against the idea). It may well be that our study will conclude that such schemes are not feasible, or too costly, have serious side-effects, or are too difficult to control. But it may not; and it is likely that we will need a lot more information before we can really decide.

Geoengineering is not an alternative to transforming our economies in order to achieve a low-carbon energy future; we will need that anyway, when the fossil fuels run out. But it is possible that it could at least make a contribution to reducing the damage which is otherwise expected. We would, in effect, at least be treating the symptoms, to buy some time while we seek a cure. But this will only be an option if we get the information to assess the credibility and potential of these ideas as soon as we can.

Two-pronged
Geoengineering schemes for moderating climate change come in two main flavours. First there are those that aim to increase the amount of sunlight that is reflected away from the Earth (currently about 30 per cent) by a few per cent more. Second there are some that aim to increase the rate at which CO2 is removed from the atmosphere, by enhancing the natural sinks for CO2, and maybe even by deliberately scrubbing it out of the air.

It’s pretty clear that some of the reflection schemes could successfully reduce temperatures, because that’s just what happens after major volcanic eruptions. This method acts fast and the effects, like those of volcanoes, would decline after a few years, so it wouldn’t be irreversible. This approach, however, would only be treating the symptoms, and could be used to allow even more CO2 to build up in the atmosphere.

Then, if we were ever to stop enhancing the reflectivity, all that pent up global warming would happen very fast indeed, and we should be in serious trouble.

The Guardian