Geoengineering Global Climate Emergency Response Systems: A Viable Solution or Just Dangerous Science Fiction? Created by Maggie Embick, Tomomi Matsuhashi, and Virdis Bala
Why? Warming over 2° C is considered “dangerous climate change” We aren’t currently on a path to avoid this 2° increase Even stabilizing CO2 at 450 ppm has a large range of possible forcings
Some Ways to increase Earth’s Albedo: Marine Stratocumulus Seeding Launching space mirrors
Stratospheric Sulphate Aerosols Mount Pinatubo as a natural analog Continued injection of SO2 into the stratosphere could keep global temperatures constant as CO2 levels increase. Important considerations include the amount of particles, particle size, method of injection, and potentially dangerous side effects.
How Much? The forcing from a doubling in CO2 could be countered by a 1.7% increase in albedo. This corresponds to 1.5-5 Tg S per year, 15-30% of natural sulphate levels in the stratosphere. - amount needed depends on particle size Relatively small contributor to “acid rain.”
Potential Dangers Continued Ocean Acidification Slower recovery of the ozone hole Perturbed hydrological cycle
Conclusions