Geoengineering -- deliberate, planetary-scale efforts to counter the impact of climate change -- is so controversial that a high-powered 18-member Washington task force that spent almost two years studying the idea couldn't decide what to call it.
Most want to rename it "climate remediation." A few want to stick with geoengineering. But all agreed that, whatever you call it, the U.S. government should begin "a coordinated federal research program to explore the potential effectiveness, feasibility, and consequences of climate remediation technologies."
In a 33-page report released today in Washington, the task force of the Bipartisan Policy Center emphasized that climate remediation is not a substitute for managing the risks of climate change through mitigation (i.e., reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, most of them generated by burning fossil fuels). It also says that no geoengineering technology is ready for deployment.
But, the group said, it's imperative that governments, scientists and engineers learn more about geoengineering because the risks of climate change are increasing.
Mitigation measures currently being considered, regardless of their pace of efficacy, will not be able to return atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations to pre-industrial levels for centuries…
Although we do not know exactly how much the climate will change or how fast, globally disruptive or even catastrophic results are possible…Global climate change could unfold in ways that would be very difficult to manage
In plain language: what we're doing (or not doing) now to deal with climate change isn't working, and the consequences of those failures are likely to be disastrous.
"I'm not sure we would have had a consensus recommendation on research if mitigation efforts were going great guns," said Stephen Rademaker, co-chair of the task force and a former assistant secretary of state during the Bush II administration.
Indeed, the report points to a number of climate impacts -- threats to food supply, threats to water supply, lost of Arctic ice which could accelerate the rise in global temperatures or the massive releases of CO2 and methane from the Arctic -- that, if they occur, would create the kind of global emergency that, without warning, could put the idea of geoengineering front and center.
"We're being driven by a fear of climate change that is real and palpable," said Jane Long, a climate and energy expert from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and co-chair of the panel.
"We don't know when the climate may tip," said Richard Elliot Benedick, a former ambassador and chief U.S. negotiator for the 1987 Montreal protocol to protect the ozone layer. "Nature does not give us an early warning system."
Other members of the BPC task force included natural scientists, social scientists, policy experts, environmentalists (Steve Hamburg of Environmental Defense Fund and David Goldston of NRDC) as well several leading researchers into geoengineering (David Keith of Harvard and the University of Calgary, Ken Caldeira of the Carnegie Institution at Stanford and Granger Morgan of Carnegie Mellon).
As regular readers of this blog know, I'm fascinated by geoengineering. [See Suck It Up: an unorthodox climate solution and Is Geoengineering Ready for Prime Time?] I've got a story coming out soon in Fortune on technologies to capture CO2 from the air, and I'm writing a short e-book on the topic as well.
ABSOLUTELY NOT: ACCORDING TO
ABSOLUTELY NOT:
ACCORDING TO THIS FILM - WITH DOCUMENTED FOOTAGE - THEY ARE ALREADY DOING IT... WATCH FILM "What In the World Are They Spraying" http://ow.ly/6NjeG
We've messed enough with Nature and gotten ourselves into a huge mess. Just Stop What We're Doing That Creates the Problem in the First Place !!
The consequences of messing with the global climate system will be devastating to both humanity and all life on this planet. Science does not know enough about the intricacies of the symbiotic nature of organic life to even begin thinking about the horrendous, irreversible chain reaction this could have. Just because we can, does not give us license to do it. Put our brilliant minds to restoring natural balance on this planet, not providing excuses as to why we can keep on doing what we are doing that are the root causes of the "climate change".
If we all focused on restoring balance and health to the environment, there would be plenty of jobs, a new economy would emerge and humans would have a common cause to pull together under one umbrella -- which is crucial if we are going to get through the coming perfect storm of environmental, social and economic collapse...see "Urgent Memo to The World" http://thenaturaleye.wordpress.com/2011/08/04/an-urgent-memo-to-the-world/
Think people, Think and think critically before we jump. Everything is interconnected...not one single element stands alone -
Sandler Climate Solutions
Sandler Climate Solutions Inc.
Geo-engineering Solution
It is important for you to be informed of different approaches in the relatively new field of geo-engineering.
Killing hurricanes to reduce global warming
Hurricanes cause massive amounts of deforestation, trees soak-up Carbon Dioxide and in the process give back free Oxygen that we need to breathe.
Atmospheric Oxygen Levels Fall As Carbon Dioxide Rises
According to a study conducted by scientists from the Scripps Institute there is less oxygen in the atmosphere today than there used to be. The ongoing study, which accumulated and interpreted data from NOAA monitoring stations all over the world, has been running from 1989 to the present. It monitored both the rise of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the decline in oxygen. The conclusion of that 20 year study is that, as carbon dioxide (produced primarily by burning fossil fuels) accumulates in the atmosphere, available oxygen is decreasing.
Carbon dioxide seems to be almost the total focus of attention in the climate change model as it exists today. After reviewing the results of this study and talking with Dr. Ralph Keeling (one of the lead scientists on the study), it seemed to me that the consequences of atmospheric oxygen depletion should be included in any discussion of atmospheric change.
At my website http://bsandler.com there is a complete description of a patented machine designed to kill hurricanes.
Sandler Climate Solutions Inc.
Believe it or not we will be
Believe it or not we will be cutting greenhouse gas emissions rapidly and dramatically soon due to a new clean energy technology that is 1/10th the cost of coal. Don’t believe me? Watch this video by a Nobel prize winner in physics: http://pesn.com/2011/06/23/9501856_Nobel_laureate_touts_E-Cat_cold_fusion/
Still don’t believe me? It convinced the Swedish Skeptics Society: http://www.nyteknik.se/nyheter/energi_miljo/energi/article3144827.ece
LENR using nickel. Incredibly: Ni+H+K2CO3(heated under pressure)=Cu+lots of heat. Here is a detailed description of the device and formula from a US government contract: www.lenr-canr.org/acrobat/GernertNnascenthyd.pdf
Still don’t believe me? A major US corporation has bought the rights to sell the 1 megawatt Rossi E-Cat, and it will be announced late October in the US, with the unit hitting the market in 2011. How can any fossil fuel compete with such cheap energy (and clean to boot!).
By the way, here is a current survey of all the companies that are bringing LENR to commercialization: http://www.cleantechblog.com/2011/08/the-new-breed-of-energy-catalyzers-...