Geoengineering explained
Geoengineering means deliberate intervention in the earth’s climate on a large scale to reduce the effects of climate change. Nowadays, we come across the term Geoengineering. But what exactly geoengineering means? We explain Geoengineering in detail in this article. We will also shed the light on its advantages and disadvantages.
Furthermore, in today’s world, geoengineering is an essential topic of discussion as the earth’s climate is changing faster than expected. If we don’t act now, the results will be catastrophic. As you can see, global temperatures are rising and so are its effects. Hurricanes, typhoons, wildfires are getting frequent and stronger than before. We can say that these are the early signs of climate change.
In addition, we can notice the change in longevity and period of seasons. Day-by-day winters become too cold and summers getting hotter and hotter, breaking all the previous records. This is definitely not good. Believe it or not, it seems, climate change is happening and it’s real.
So, what could be the solution? At the current pace, it seems we are going too slow to tackle climate change. Large scale urbanization and population explosion lead to more problems as everything adds to carbon emission. Here comes the necessity of intervention in climate to reverse the effects of climate change.
What is Geoengineering?
Geoengineering, as a term, reflects deliberate intervention in the earth’s current climate to reduce the effects of climate change. It involves different strategies to reduce the overall effects of warming. Furthermore, there are two main strategies to combat the climate crisis. The first strategy is solar radiation management and the second is carbon dioxide removal.
Solar radiation management
Solar radiation management involves different techniques that will reduce the sunlight absorbed by objects on the earth’s surface. We can achieve this by deflecting solar radiation coming towards earth.
Besides, the strategy involves increasing the reflectivity on the earth’s surface or atmosphere. However, this will not effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This method is cheaper and will have results in a concise duration of time.
The different methods of solar radiation management involve surface methods, Troposphere methods, upper atmosphere methods, and space methods.
Carbon dioxide removal
Carbon dioxide removal involves removing carbon dioxide from the earth’s atmosphere by artificial means. However, indirect methods involve harnessing carbon by natural means such as tree plantation.
Advanatges of Geoengineering
Geoengineering can directly impact our climate. Hence, we can see its effect in very little time. Global warming is real, and we have to tackle it immediately. This stream of engineering also helps to reduce the climate crisis on a global scale.
This stream also has a tremendous impact on people’s lives. We can definitely say it will save billions of dollars in restoration, crop damage, and many other economical impacts.
Geoengineering also gives more time to restore the environment. Currently, we need more time to tackle the climate crisis, and this is our only hope in doing so.
People believe this is one of the fastest methods to restore our climate. Our commitment to climate change is still not on the mark. Almost every country is missing its targets of carbon dioxide emission.
Disadvantages of Geoengineering
First of all, Geoengineering is a debatable stream of science. Most of the people believe we have no right to intervene in our climates. It’s like playing with god. This belief is somewhat rational as we don’t know about its impact on climate.
This stream is not yet proven and may have negative impacts. The other problem is, we can’t set a single benchmark climate for the entire world. The climate and temperature vary throughout the world, and our crop patterns are in line with local climates.
Altering the climate may have an impact on societies and may have political impacts, and even wars. It isn’t easy to align responsibility in Geoengineering. We can’t keep control of the climate in the hands of only one country. So, it isn’t easy to implement this technology.
Furthermore, the readiness of this technology is a matter of concern. What if this unproven technology backfires with irreversible consequences? So, playing with the climate may lead to catastrophic events. It may impact the earth’s environment permanently, destroying everything. So, we must change our consumption pattern, and that is the only option. All these measures sound like treating signs and keeping the main cause as it is.
In conclusion, Geoengineering is a debatable subject. However, if we keep our current lifestyle as it is, we may have to implement this technology. It sounds scary, but it is the reality. So, act now to save the climate.
Image courtesy: Science Mag
