GEOENGINEERING STEPS TOWARD REALITY

Abstract

LAUNCHING HUNDREDS of billions of 2-foot-wide reflectors into Earth’s orbit. Outfitting an armada of oceangoing ships to gin up clouds. Blasting tons of sulfur into the stratosphere with artillery. These and other geoengineering schemes that might weaken the effects of human-induced global warming may seem like science fiction. In the past, they’ve been dismissed as far too risky or imprudent for mainstream scientists or policymakers to consider seriously. Today, however, geoengineering proposals are starting to get lots of attention. Geoengineering increasingly seems to offer viable, science-backed options for averting the worst of predicted global warming. It doesn’t offer a silver bullet solution, however. The technologies involve trade-offs that are likely to generate powerful opponents, and their deployment may be influenced by international treaties over outer space and Earth’s atmosphere and oceans. Perhaps most responsible for bringing the idea of geoengineering into the public consciousness is th...