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If planetary albedo is more easily manipulated than CO2, this could be a powerful avenue for remediation.
by JoeAltmaier 2y ago
If planetary albedo is more easily manipulated than CO2, this could be a powerful avenue for remediation.
- jfengel 2y agoRemediation without limiting CO2 output is almost certainly going to be even worse. It would be like stomping on the brake and the accelerator at the same time: maybe your speed is what you want, but the wheels are going to literally come off. If we have limited CO2, manipulating the albedo will likely not be necessary. It will be easier to adapt civilization than to modify the planet itself. Once we have reached the point where that is no longer true, there will be little left to salvage, and geoengineering would likely do as much harm as good.
- JoeAltmaier 2y agoThat's all pretty wild speculation. There's this knee-jerk response to suggestions for engineered solutions, along the lines of 'we don't dare fool with the planet!' Well, we've been fooling with the planet for centuries; that's why we're in this pickle. Any solution out of the crisis will be enthusiastically accepted by some, regardless of these wet-blanket cautious remarks. Brake and accelerator? Don't even know what that analogy is about. And 'easier' solutions are no longer even part of the outlook. Every solution will be necessary to counter the tipping-point we have crossed. As much harm as good? Really?