Maybe Let’s Not ‘Snowpiercer’ the Atmosphere | Apocalyptic notions aside, one of geoengineering’s biggest risks is that it provides an excuse to delay the clean-energy transition we truly need.

3 comments

1. I’m sorry I was this depressing…..

2. It’s easy to see the appeal of trying to pull another Pinatubo when world leaders are failing to take harder steps to keep the planet cool. But the dangers are too numerous and dire to ignore.

   For one thing, the other big effect of Pinatubo’s SO2 blast was the fastest destruction of ozone ever recorded, widening the hole in the planet’s ozone layer to an “an unprecedented size,” according to a University of Hawaii study. This temporarily disrupted a yearslong global crusade to close that hole and thus protect the Earth from the Sun’s ultraviolet rays.

   SO2 and other aerosols are also toxic pollutants responsible for millions of deaths and illnesses every year — hence the many campaigns to do away with them. And SO2 is the key ingredient in acid rain, another scourge governments have worked for decades to eliminate.

3. Realistically, geoengineering is the only solution. While many will disagree, it’s the only technology out there that has the ability to make money. I know, I know… but let’s be honest with ourselves. You think the world is going to jump at the notion of giving up all the things or are they going to prop up some billionaire that acquired a geoengineering firm.