By Holly J. Buck. „Is staying below a 2C rise in temperature is a realistic or fantastic target?[nbsp] There’s been talk about this lately, in Nature and on this forum.[nbsp] Beneath this question lies another question: Is there hope? „
„Sir David Attenborough is a fan of the professor, who he describes as one of the[nbsp]greatest[nbsp]scientific explorers of our time“
„Should nations purposely pollute the planet to try to counteract man-made warming and cool the world? Scientists are pretty sure they can do it, but should they?“
„Scientists have proposed all kinds of complicated—and probably dangerous—ways to take carbon pollution out of the atmosphere or mitigate its effect. But there’s actually a far simpler geo-engineering technique available to us: improving soil quality.“
„There are a number of ideas for how people might intentionally alter the planet’s climate system – an approach called geoengineering. One of the most frequently discussed ideas is solar geoengineering, blocking some of sun’s energy by, for example, injecting tiny particles called sulfate aerosols into the atmosphere. But solar geoengineeering remains a controversial method of addressing climate change.“
Conclusion: „While many geoengineering solutions will likely continue being contested and therefore underdeveloped, it is worth noting that taking a greater focus in specific carbon-capture based technologies, such as chemically catalyzed reactions for “carbon”-fixation, would enable the same level of climate impact without the side effects. Although challenges abound, the development of carbon capture technology must be the next step in this fight to save this planet.“
„The growing crisis over global warming must be addressed seriously now or[nbsp]require risky “geoengineering” strategies as a last resort in the not-too-distant future, a dangerous “Hail Mary” pass for humanity’s survival, as ex-CIA analyst Paul R. Pillar explains.“
„The[nbsp]negotiating text in Paris contains proposed text about „zero net emission,“ based on the assumption that actual emissions can be neutralized by future „negative“ ones. This is based on conclusions in[nbsp]the 2014 report of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). According to that report, most relevant models predict that „negative emissions“ in the form of bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) would be required later this century if we are to avoid more than 2 degrees Celsius of warming.“
„There remains the possibility that SRM could complement mitigation and adaptation in the fight against climate change, but not without simultaneous increases in resources for research and informed debate that is grounded in the needs of those most affected by climate change right now.“
„So what was Mr Lomborg’s preferred alternative to the UN talks? It was solar geoengineering, a controversial—and speculative—set of proposals for lowering global temperature by blocking incoming sunlight on a planetary scale.“
