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Scientists Support an Idea Long Thought Outlandish: Reflecting the Sun’s Rays

neaden 6y ago
The title is misleading, the people here are advocating for studying the issue/technology not for implementing it (yet).
- Proven 6y ago
  And if they start advocating, it will be to implement it using other people's money. Some support.
- mpweiher 6y ago
  Title seems accurate to me: "Scientist Support an Idea...". Doesn't mention implementation.
  - notthemessiah 6y ago
    "Support" implies that the it's a good idea to be be pursued, contrasted with "once thought outlandish" (it's still outlandish, but possibly less worse than the alternative) in the clickbait headline. The content of the article suggests that scientists have concerns about the long-term effects and that we need more research so we better know our options, and that it's no substitute for reducing carbon in the atmosphere, not that it's a good idea that just needs development of a solution.
    - mpweiher 6y ago
      Supporting an idea doesn't mean supporting it unconditionally and to the exclusion of all other ideas.
      - neaden 6y ago
        I would still say in this instance they support researching the idea, not they support the idea.
greesil 6y ago
Supposedly this impacts crop yields. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/aug/08/reflecting-suns-rays-would-cause-crops-to-fail-scientists-warn https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/aug/08/reflecti...
- icegreentea2 6y ago
  Yup. Geo-engineering based on solar radiation management (SRM) is probably one of the drastic options we have to try to mitigate climate change effects. That said, the quoted paper's conclusion is that the increase in yields from reduced heating would more or less cancel out the loss in productivity from reduced sunlight. Taking that conclusion at face value, it simply says that there is no net agricultural impact from aerosel based SRM which honestly... is pretty awesome.
- alpaca128 6y ago
  So does global warming. I think such methods to block out sunlight will be the only viable solution. Not because it's better than others, but simply because decision makers seem to have agreed to keep ignoring this problem, in the hopes that when shit hits the fan they are enjoying their retirement. And then the hotfix ideas will be the first to try.
  - airhead969 6y ago
    There is no one magic bullet panacea. Many approaches will be needed to holistically reduce the energy in the water system. CCS and SRM are the leading ones. As far as CCS goes, doing so with mechanical pumps is a waste of energy when biomass can do it much more cheaply, efficiently, and at a larger scale.
airhead969 6y ago
Paul Beckwith has been promoting SRM for a few years now. Bio CCS will also be necessary, such as kelp and/or phytoplankton farming at scale to sequester carbon.

The title is misleading, the people here are advocating for studying the issue/technology not for implementing it (yet).

Proven 6y ago
And if they start advocating, it will be to implement it using other people's money. Some support.
mpweiher 6y ago
Title seems accurate to me: "Scientist Support an Idea...". Doesn't mention implementation.
- notthemessiah 6y ago
  "Support" implies that the it's a good idea to be be pursued, contrasted with "once thought outlandish" (it's still outlandish, but possibly less worse than the alternative) in the clickbait headline. The content of the article suggests that scientists have concerns about the long-term effects and that we need more research so we better know our options, and that it's no substitute for reducing carbon in the atmosphere, not that it's a good idea that just needs development of a solution.
  - mpweiher 6y ago
    Supporting an idea doesn't mean supporting it unconditionally and to the exclusion of all other ideas.
    - neaden 6y ago
      I would still say in this instance they support researching the idea, not they support the idea.

greesil 6y ago

Supposedly this impacts crop yields. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/aug/08/reflecting-suns-rays-would-cause-crops-to-fail-scientists-warn https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/aug/08/reflecti...

icegreentea2 6y ago
Yup. Geo-engineering based on solar radiation management (SRM) is probably one of the drastic options we have to try to mitigate climate change effects. That said, the quoted paper's conclusion is that the increase in yields from reduced heating would more or less cancel out the loss in productivity from reduced sunlight. Taking that conclusion at face value, it simply says that there is no net agricultural impact from aerosel based SRM which honestly... is pretty awesome.
alpaca128 6y ago
So does global warming. I think such methods to block out sunlight will be the only viable solution. Not because it's better than others, but simply because decision makers seem to have agreed to keep ignoring this problem, in the hopes that when shit hits the fan they are enjoying their retirement. And then the hotfix ideas will be the first to try.
- airhead969 6y ago
  There is no one magic bullet panacea. Many approaches will be needed to holistically reduce the energy in the water system. CCS and SRM are the leading ones. As far as CCS goes, doing so with mechanical pumps is a waste of energy when biomass can do it much more cheaply, efficiently, and at a larger scale.

airhead969 6y ago

Paul Beckwith has been promoting SRM for a few years now. Bio CCS will also be necessary, such as kelp and/or phytoplankton farming at scale to sequester carbon.