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I am afraid that one of these days geo-engineering ideas are going to be implemented. Wasn't there some billionaire who dumped on a massive scale iron in the Oc

by stfu 14y ago

I am afraid that one of these days geo-engineering ideas are going to be implemented. Wasn't there some billionaire who dumped on a massive scale iron in the Ocean just because he believes this is going to help climate change? In my opinion it is absolutely crazy to implement "stuff" in a super complex system (in which humans fail over and over again to predict relatively "simple" occurrences such as earthquakes or the weather) and present a "solution" by pretending to have the slightest understanding of all the potential long and short term side effects.

ghshephard 14y ago
On the flip side - carefully studying the impact on the global environment of naturally occurring phenomena such as volcanoes, can't hurt, and can give us some good background information should we have to rely on such large scale intervention in the centuries to come. One way, or another, it's important to recognize that regardless of what we do, or don't do, we will be having an impact on the global environment. For example, we can either run a massively carbon-based industry-ecosystem (Such as we are right now), or we can go out of our way to reduce the carbon output into the environment. Either way, we will be making radical injections or removing injections into the ecosystem. There is no way to avoid it.
pbateman 14y ago
On the other hand we are already implementing geo-engineering by default. Humanity is already impacting a complex system and we have to do something or face the consequences. Of course I don't mean to downplay the risks, more research is vital.
yummyfajitas 14y ago
But the climate models which we consider 95% accurate (and on which the scientific consensus surrounding AGW is based) say it will work. If the models are inaccurate for predicting what might happen under a Pinatubo-like forcing, why do we believe they are accurate for predicting what would have happened absent anthropogenic carbon emissions? (Note that scenario also involved Pinatubo-like forcing.)
- mikeash 14y ago
  Perhaps different levels of confidence are desired for different sorts of actions.
dhughes 14y ago
It was done off Haida Gwaii in BC western Canada but was not officially authorized by the Canadian government. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/10/15/bc-iron-sulfate-dumping-haida-gwaii.html http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/10...

by stfu 14y ago

ghshephard 14y ago

On the flip side - carefully studying the impact on the global environment of naturally occurring phenomena such as volcanoes, can't hurt, and can give us some good background information should we have to rely on such large scale intervention in the centuries to come. One way, or another, it's important to recognize that regardless of what we do, or don't do, we will be having an impact on the global environment. For example, we can either run a massively carbon-based industry-ecosystem (Such as we are right now), or we can go out of our way to reduce the carbon output into the environment. Either way, we will be making radical injections or removing injections into the ecosystem. There is no way to avoid it.

pbateman 14y ago

On the other hand we are already implementing geo-engineering by default. Humanity is already impacting a complex system and we have to do something or face the consequences. Of course I don't mean to downplay the risks, more research is vital.

yummyfajitas 14y ago

But the climate models which we consider 95% accurate (and on which the scientific consensus surrounding AGW is based) say it will work. If the models are inaccurate for predicting what might happen under a Pinatubo-like forcing, why do we believe they are accurate for predicting what would have happened absent anthropogenic carbon emissions? (Note that scenario also involved Pinatubo-like forcing.)

mikeash 14y ago
Perhaps different levels of confidence are desired for different sorts of actions.

dhughes 14y ago

It was done off Haida Gwaii in BC western Canada but was not officially authorized by the Canadian government. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/10/15/bc-iron-sulfate-dumping-haida-gwaii.html http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/10...