Geoengineering proposals are nothing new; plans to impose man’s will on nature have been advanced for years, and usually figure in the plots of spy films. But they aren’t always about the big machine to make clouds, rain fire, or otherwise transform the landscape. Sometimes they’re about animals. The latest proposal landed in Nature last […]
It appears that this year (well, starting last year) has seen the beginnings of a push towards some kind of transnational or international discussion of how to managed experiments in geoengineering. I have no sense of how this may unfold, but with at least an international conference, one international agreement, and two studies from leading […]
Prior to the House Science and Technology Committee report on geoengineering, and before the Convention on Biological Diversity supposedly banned experiments on it, the Governmental Accountability Office (GAO) weighed in on the issue. The GAO report, requested by the House Science and Technology Committee chair, examines the state of geoengineering science, the extent of current […]
In the middle of this muddled analysis of geoengineering in The Economist. While the piece ultimate starts to make a clear point when discussing the merits of using the climate prediction tool climateprediction.net, the way the piece teases at the impact of local variations that might result from geoengineering projects ultimately leaves a reader frustrated. […]
An immodest proposal concerning the garbage island in the Pacific – make it into an island (via SciTechDaily). Sadly, there appears to be plenty of material for what the architects behind the idea are suggesting, as the island can be measured in terms of the area of U.S. states. What is the challenge is moving […]
Discovery News crunches the numbers about whether the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull would reduce the need for geoengineering projects that propose launching tons of aerosols into the upper atmosphere. The short answer – not by a long shot. Compared to the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines (which had a small, temporary cooling effect […]
From ScienceInsider there’s word that the U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology will hold joint hearings with its counterpart in the U.K. House of Commons on geoengineering. This was announced on Thursday by both committees. The U.S. committee was holding a hearing on geoengineering, and the U.K. committee (and its predecessor) had started inquiries […]
The Royal Society released a report today (H/T ScienceInsider) on geoengineering and climate (PDF). Noting that reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is the safest and most predictable method of moderating climate change, the report conditionally notes that geoengineering methods might have a place in moderating climate change: “Geoengineering methods could however potentially be useful in […]
As noted by Stephen Colbert earlier this week, Bill Gates apparently wants to control the weather (if in a hurry, skip to the Threatdown, starting at 10:00). Feel free to take a moment and run through the mad scientist/James Bond villain visions that have sparked to mind. Most of the blogosphere already has. As is […]
My online wanderings brought out this article from the Spring 2007 edition of the Wilson Quarterly (H/T SciTechDaily.com) on geoengineering. It’s a decent, if thin, introduction to past and current plans and schemes to modify global climate for various reasons. The author, James Fleming of Colby College, suggests that such plans have suffered from a […]
