Here we go, now those crazy people who said the government was using chemicals in the upper atmosphere to modify the weather can stand taller. I have seen such practice for over a decade.
Scientists are looking at riskier ways to reverse climate change
PRI
Matt Purdy, Innovation Hub5 hrs ago
© NASA
Our planet is heating up. There’s mostly consensus on what’s causing global warming (we are), as well as how quickly we need to work to slow it down (very quickly).
Now many climate scientists are coming together around a common goal: keep the planet from heating up more than two degrees Celsius. That’s the point at which we’d see more and more droughts, ever-rising sea levels, and widespread wildlife extinctions.
To achieve their ends, policy experts have focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. But it’s not clear whether that will be enough, and some scientists are exploring riskier ways to keep the planet from overheating.
Two Ways To Engineer The Climate
Suggested from Windows Store
(122 Reviews)
This interactive 3D globe features wonders of the world, political and physical maps, and weather. Discover a lot of…
[url=ms-windows-store://pdp/?productid=9wzdncrdss56&ocid=msnarticlepromo]Get the app[/url]
On June 15, 1991, Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines erupted, spewing a cloud of volcanic ash hundreds of miles across the sky. It was the second largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century.
It also cooled the Earth.
Ken Caldeira is a climate scientist at the Carnegie Institution for Science. He says the next year, “The planet was more or less a degree Fahrenheit cooler than it otherwise would’ve been despite the increasing rise in greenhouse gases.”
That’s because the tiny ash particles and aerosols that were blown into the stratosphere spread around the planet, blocking some of the Sun’s rays from ever reaching Earth. Less sunlight means less heat.
That got scientists thinking: Could we use the same principles to artificially cool the planet?
Theoretically, yes. And we already have the technology needed to do it.
“There are planes that can go up to the stratosphere now,” Caldeira says. “The spraying technologies are well-developed … The bigger question is what are the unintended consequences of doing such a dramatic act.”
The other option for cooling the Earth would be sucking up - or "capturing" - the carbon dioxide clogging up the atmosphere.
“The basic idea is not that controversial,” says Caldeira. “Trees do this already.”
There are startups that have started developing ways to to do it. Everything from dotting the land with artificial trees to installing a huge wall of fans.
The question is whether those efforts can make a difference. The technology isn't quite there yet.
The Unintended Consequences
How or when we’d resort to changing the climate is an open question. Until recently, we didn’t have the technology or climate models for it to even be an option.
Brad Allenby is a sustainability scientist and professor at Arizona State University. He worries about the fallout from an attempt. “Any technology that is powerful enough to change the climate is powerful enough to have a lot of unanticipated consequences,” he says.
That could include shifting the patterns of monsoons in tropical climates.
“If that happens,” Allenby says, “then you’re looking at the potential for major chaos in countries like India and that, of course, becomes a problem for the entire world.”
But global warming itself may have some equally troubling consequences.
“If vast areas of the tropics become very hot, there could be wide scale migration pressures,” Caldeira says. “And there could pressure to do something very quickly about climate change.”
Countries most heavily affected by climate change may decide to band together to tackle the problem without buy-in from the international community.
“If a small group of countries does deploy a system and other countries feel threatened by it, there’s a lot of scope for political or even military conflict,” Caldeira says.
“I think we’re at a bit of a crossroads,” he adds. “We need to decide as a civilization whether this is going to be mostly a natural world ... and interfere as little as possible on natural systems. Or are we going to ... manage it the way we’ve managed so many other things.”
And hope everything turns out okay.
This story first aired as an interview on PRI's Innovation Hub. Subscribe to the Innovation Hub podcast. Coverage of Innovation Hub's environmental and sustainability reporting comes, in part, from The Kendeda Fund
http://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/scientists-are-looking-at-riskier-ways-to-reverse-climate-change/ar-AAeQ1s6?ocid=spartandhp
Scientists are looking at riskier ways to reverse climate change
PRI
Matt Purdy, Innovation Hub5 hrs ago
© NASA
Our planet is heating up. There’s mostly consensus on what’s causing global warming (we are), as well as how quickly we need to work to slow it down (very quickly).
Now many climate scientists are coming together around a common goal: keep the planet from heating up more than two degrees Celsius. That’s the point at which we’d see more and more droughts, ever-rising sea levels, and widespread wildlife extinctions.
To achieve their ends, policy experts have focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. But it’s not clear whether that will be enough, and some scientists are exploring riskier ways to keep the planet from overheating.
Two Ways To Engineer The Climate
Suggested from Windows Store
Earth 3D
Interactive 3D globe of fascinating earth facts(122 Reviews)
This interactive 3D globe features wonders of the world, political and physical maps, and weather. Discover a lot of…
[url=ms-windows-store://pdp/?productid=9wzdncrdss56&ocid=msnarticlepromo]Get the app[/url]
On June 15, 1991, Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines erupted, spewing a cloud of volcanic ash hundreds of miles across the sky. It was the second largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century.
It also cooled the Earth.
Ken Caldeira is a climate scientist at the Carnegie Institution for Science. He says the next year, “The planet was more or less a degree Fahrenheit cooler than it otherwise would’ve been despite the increasing rise in greenhouse gases.”
That’s because the tiny ash particles and aerosols that were blown into the stratosphere spread around the planet, blocking some of the Sun’s rays from ever reaching Earth. Less sunlight means less heat.
That got scientists thinking: Could we use the same principles to artificially cool the planet?
Theoretically, yes. And we already have the technology needed to do it.
“There are planes that can go up to the stratosphere now,” Caldeira says. “The spraying technologies are well-developed … The bigger question is what are the unintended consequences of doing such a dramatic act.”
The other option for cooling the Earth would be sucking up - or "capturing" - the carbon dioxide clogging up the atmosphere.
“The basic idea is not that controversial,” says Caldeira. “Trees do this already.”
There are startups that have started developing ways to to do it. Everything from dotting the land with artificial trees to installing a huge wall of fans.
The question is whether those efforts can make a difference. The technology isn't quite there yet.
The Unintended Consequences
How or when we’d resort to changing the climate is an open question. Until recently, we didn’t have the technology or climate models for it to even be an option.
Brad Allenby is a sustainability scientist and professor at Arizona State University. He worries about the fallout from an attempt. “Any technology that is powerful enough to change the climate is powerful enough to have a lot of unanticipated consequences,” he says.
That could include shifting the patterns of monsoons in tropical climates.
“If that happens,” Allenby says, “then you’re looking at the potential for major chaos in countries like India and that, of course, becomes a problem for the entire world.”
But global warming itself may have some equally troubling consequences.
“If vast areas of the tropics become very hot, there could be wide scale migration pressures,” Caldeira says. “And there could pressure to do something very quickly about climate change.”
Countries most heavily affected by climate change may decide to band together to tackle the problem without buy-in from the international community.
“If a small group of countries does deploy a system and other countries feel threatened by it, there’s a lot of scope for political or even military conflict,” Caldeira says.
“I think we’re at a bit of a crossroads,” he adds. “We need to decide as a civilization whether this is going to be mostly a natural world ... and interfere as little as possible on natural systems. Or are we going to ... manage it the way we’ve managed so many other things.”
And hope everything turns out okay.
This story first aired as an interview on PRI's Innovation Hub. Subscribe to the Innovation Hub podcast. Coverage of Innovation Hub's environmental and sustainability reporting comes, in part, from The Kendeda Fund
http://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/scientists-are-looking-at-riskier-ways-to-reverse-climate-change/ar-AAeQ1s6?ocid=spartandhp
Today at 7:52 am by Rocky
» utube 3/28/24 MM&C Iraqi Dinar - IQD Update - SWIFT - Purchasing Power - Urban Renaissance - Releas
Today at 7:51 am by Rocky
» Al-Mandalawi: Iraq is witnessing competition between major companies...and the House of Representati
Today at 7:49 am by Rocky
» The President of the Republic stresses the importance of the role of programmers in developing the w
Today at 7:46 am by Rocky
» The Minister of Industry and Minerals follows up on the technical and production performance of the
Today at 7:45 am by Rocky
» The Minister of Finance is following up on the field the progress of the newly implemented ASYCUDA s
Today at 7:44 am by Rocky
» Statistics: There are more than 15 million bank accounts in Iraq
Today at 7:42 am by Rocky
» Representative: One paragraph hinders the passage of a general amnesty within the House of Represent
Today at 7:37 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Finance: “The draft federal budget law will be devoid of new job grades.”
Today at 7:36 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary action to resolve the fate of “food security contracts” in 15 governorates
Today at 7:35 am by Rocky
» 300 factories turned into "iron scrap" in Diyala
Today at 7:34 am by Rocky
» A deputy expects the dollar exchange rate to reach 140 Iraqi dinars
Today at 7:32 am by Rocky
» Al-Yasiri: The American administration is working hard to destroy the Iraqi economy
Today at 7:31 am by Rocky
» Infographic: The highest annual salaries of leaders of Arab countries
Today at 7:30 am by Rocky
» Communications announces that the electronic signature project has reached advanced stages
Today at 7:29 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Integrity presents a file related to Kuwaiti violations of Iraqi oil
Today at 7:27 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary move to include amendments to Parliament’s internal regulations on the agenda (documen
Today at 7:25 am by Rocky
» The Iraqi President urges the Minister of Finance to expedite the payment of salaries to the Kurdist
Today at 7:23 am by Rocky
» Central Bank of Iraq sales exceeded $251 million at today’s auction
Today at 7:21 am by Rocky
» The Foreign Minister questions the "Iraqi resistance" attacks against Israel: the other side did not
Today at 7:20 am by Rocky
» The Minister of Labor announces progress in the electronic payment system
Today at 7:17 am by Rocky
» Interior Ministry: For the first time, we controlled the smuggling of petroleum derivatives by 98 pe
Today at 7:16 am by Rocky
» International companies offer offers to invest in the Dhi Qar marshes.. What distinguishes them?
Today at 7:15 am by Rocky
» “Tough” comments on interest rates raise the dollar globally
Today at 7:14 am by Rocky
» Iraq is the fifth largest oil supplier to South Korea in a month
Today at 7:12 am by Rocky
» Recovering more than 100 billion as a result of more than 200,000 employees on social welfare
Today at 7:11 am by Rocky
» The Sudanese consultant announces the completion of Baghdad Metro track designs
Today at 7:08 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani stresses ending the problem of triple-shift schools
Today at 7:07 am by Rocky
» Iraq begins building two new tankers to transport petroleum products
Today at 7:06 am by Rocky
» Forming a council for “competition and preventing monopoly”
Today at 7:04 am by Rocky
» Features of an Iraqi-Turkish agreement regarding the status of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party
Today at 7:02 am by Rocky
» {Al-Buzrajiya} between the hammer of fraud and the power of the owners
Today at 7:01 am by Rocky
» Ministry of Oil: The gas sector is witnessing great development
Today at 6:59 am by Rocky
» An agreement with Britain in the field of securities
Today at 6:58 am by Rocky
» Discussions between Baghdad and Ankara to open a new port
Today at 6:57 am by Rocky
» Trade: About 11 million citizens updated their new card information
Today at 6:56 am by Rocky
» Electronic payment is sustainable growth
Today at 6:55 am by Rocky
» Experts: Iraq qualifies to be an important tourist country
Today at 6:54 am by Rocky
» Amending the Health Professions Law “robs” scientists of the central appointment 3 years after it wa
Today at 5:20 am by Rocky
» Is the “blessings package” that Erbil paid to the citizens of Kurdistan related to the elections?
Today at 5:19 am by Rocky
» Exceeded 5,000 projects.. Allocating 10 trillion dinars to support governorate reconstruction plans
Today at 5:18 am by Rocky
» “His need no longer exists.” Parliamentary Finance confirms the necessity of returning the retiremen
Today at 5:17 am by Rocky
» To communicate with the bases... 12 directives from Al-Sadr, including blocking numbers for non-gove
Today at 5:15 am by Rocky
» In an interview with "Baghdad Today"... an Iranian researcher reveals the importance of Haniyeh's vi
Today at 5:14 am by Rocky
» After it was 63 trillion in 2023... the 2024 budget deficit will rise to 80 trillion dinars
Today at 5:13 am by Rocky
» Parliament reveals the date of the first evaluation of the governors and determines the party respon
Today at 5:11 am by Rocky
» The President of the Republic informs Al-Araji and Al-Basri: Momentum must be mobilized to eliminate
Today at 5:10 am by Rocky
» Can the Federal Court sue others? A legal clarification of its response mechanism to abuse
Today at 5:09 am by Rocky
» Despite promises to soon stop burning gas.. What is the secret behind Iraq renewing the Iranian gas
Today at 5:07 am by Rocky
» Advisor to Al-Sudani: The dollar is on the way to further decline, and 70% of Iraqi traders have ent
Today at 5:06 am by Rocky
» Iraq exported more than 99 million barrels of oil last February
Today at 5:04 am by Rocky
» Barzani “gives good news” to Kurdistan employees: salaries, land, and loan exemptions
Today at 5:03 am by Rocky
» Alia Nassif: Nour Zuhair returned to the port of Umm Qasr to make deals.. An influential Shiite forc
Today at 5:02 am by Rocky
» The Prime Minister announces the movement of nearly 500 stalled projects
Today at 5:00 am by Rocky
» A government strategy to enhance investments.. Iraq is on the verge of a new era of economic develop
Today at 4:59 am by Rocky
» Ranging between 20% and 50%.. The Kurdistan government decides to reduce service fees, customs dutie
Today at 4:58 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: The reform approach in the security services is an integral part of reform in other secto
Today at 4:56 am by Rocky
» Everyone in Iraq wants the Sudanese visit to Washington to be successful, even the factions!
Today at 4:55 am by Rocky
» Sources and experts expect the agenda.. in his bag is the Baghdad dollar and the factions’ truce, bu
Today at 4:54 am by Rocky
» The decision to raise gasoline prices arouses the ire of drivers...a reminder of the large demonstra
Today at 4:53 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary services: 3 important hospitals in Baghdad will enter service at the end of the year
Today at 4:52 am by Rocky
» Iraq signs a contract to supply Iranian gas for a period of five years
Today at 4:50 am by Rocky
» Parliament adds a voting paragraph on amending the Penal Code to its agenda
Today at 4:49 am by Rocky
» His political advisor: We are not afraid of Sudanese entering the elections alone
Today at 4:48 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary services explain the reasons for the rise in real estate prices in Baghdad
Today at 4:46 am by Rocky
» Attia, criticizing the government's decisions: "The citizen's feathers will be ruffled without servi
Today at 4:45 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Communications: Zain Iraq and Asiacell did not pay their debts
Today at 4:44 am by Rocky
» The Governor of Karbala announces the imminent establishment of the largest industrial city in the c
Today at 4:43 am by Rocky
» A government determination to end the issue of displaced persons in the middle of this year
Today at 4:42 am by Rocky
» Iraq buys gas from Kurdistan to generate electricity
Today at 4:41 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary signatures to include an amendment to the internal regulations to decide the choice of
Today at 4:40 am by Rocky
» In Basra.. a demonstration against foreign workers in Iraqi companies (video)
Today at 4:38 am by Rocky
» Al-Samarrai: Presidency of Parliament is an entitlement to the constituents, and calling it a “frame
Today at 4:36 am by Rocky
» Electronic food supplies in 6 governorates... covering 11 million Iraqis and “writing off” about 700
Today at 4:34 am by Rocky
» Corruption of the Ministry of Transport.. Representatives express their surprise at the minister’s s
Today at 4:32 am by Rocky
» The biggest supporter of the invasion of Iraq.. The death of former US Senator Joe Lieberman
Today at 4:31 am by Rocky
» Iraq is ranked “late.” A list of the most and least safe Arab countries for women
Today at 4:30 am by Rocky
» The Council of Ministers exempts the Gulf Interconnection Authority from guarantee fees: it is a gov
Yesterday at 7:48 am by Rocky
» The Iraqi government raises the size of the 2024 budget, and Parliament is “surprised”
Yesterday at 7:46 am by Rocky
» Popular Movement: We have many economic options away from American hegemony
Yesterday at 7:42 am by Rocky
» The Oil Parliament stresses the need to transfer part of the revenues to the producing governorates
Yesterday at 7:41 am by Rocky
» It will cover 14 regions in eastern Iraq.. A deputy reveals the “border electricity” project
Yesterday at 7:40 am by Rocky
» Experts Warn Mass Migration Threatens US Food Security
Yesterday at 7:37 am by Bama Diva
» Al-Fateh: America occupies Iraq through agreements
Yesterday at 7:37 am by Rocky
» Anger in Iraq over a "sudden decision"... and a reminder of a "general strike" that paralyzed the co
Yesterday at 7:34 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Committee: Parliament is discussing today a decision that “disturbed” the Iraqis
Yesterday at 7:33 am by Rocky
» Ministry of Electricity: Our production will reach 27 thousand megawatts by May
Yesterday at 7:31 am by Rocky
» Diagnosing the “most important” problems in the oil file between Baghdad and Erbil.. What is the rel
Yesterday at 7:30 am by Rocky
» The Iraqi Fiqh Academy and the Sunni Endowment issue a fatwa to pay Zakat al-Fitr
Yesterday at 7:28 am by Rocky
» The National Bank of Iraq continues its digital transformation by launching its new banking system a
Yesterday at 7:26 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Investment and the Central Bank are discussing the housing initiative
Yesterday at 7:25 am by Rocky
» The Prime Minister announces the restart of 500 suspended projects
Yesterday at 7:23 am by Rocky
» Al-Barti assesses the region's employees: Your salaries are insured and will be paid after resettlem
Yesterday at 7:21 am by Rocky
» Iraqi-American discussions in anticipation of the Sudanese visit
Yesterday at 7:20 am by Rocky
» Iraq and Turkey hold meetings in Ankara to discuss technical issues related to the development road
Yesterday at 7:17 am by Rocky
» A government parliamentary agreement to support budget revenues and governorate allocations for inve
Yesterday at 7:16 am by Rocky
» Oil: The gas sector is witnessing great development
Yesterday at 7:15 am by Rocky
» A Kurdish-French agreement to develop trade and economic relations
Yesterday at 7:13 am by Rocky
» Exchange companies in Mosul demand that they be entered into the currency selling window
Yesterday at 7:12 am by Rocky