David Keith, a prominent scientist, believes geoengineering could be a viable method to mitigate global warming. (NOTE: Geoengineering is climate engineering, an umbrella term for both carbon dioxide removal and solar radiation modification when applied at a planetary scale.) Keith suggests that the benefits of releasing sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere could outweigh the potential dangers.
Uncontrollable effects, distraction from the core issue of phasing out fossil fuels – the objections to solar engineering are manifold. But the consequences of more than 2 degrees global warming could be even more serious than the risks of geoengineering. https://t.co/Dbpd0UJjg1
— Ralf Fuecks (@fuecks) August 4, 2024
Keith’s interest in geoengineering dates back to 1991, when he studied the aftermath of the Mount Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines.
“Dr. David Keith believes that by intentionally releasing sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere, it would be possible to lower temperatures worldwide, blunting global warming.” Desperate problems beget desperate solutions. https://t.co/tDYBycKPNR
— Laurence Tribe 🇺🇦 ⚖️ (@tribelaw) August 4, 2024
The eruption sent 17 million tons of sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere, resulting in a cooling effect that lowered average temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere by roughly one degree Fahrenheit for the following year. As the impacts of climate change become more pronounced, with record-high global temperatures, violent weather, deadly heat waves, and rising sea levels, radical interventions like geoengineering are gaining more attention. Current efforts to reduce global warming primarily focus on reducing fossil fuel consumption, but progress has been slow.
Keith’s research aims to explore the feasibility of geoengineering and stimulate discussions on innovative climate solutions. However, the concept of solar geoengineering is highly controversial.
1/2 “We broke the atmosphere so next let’s tamper with the sun!” This crackpot idea has the veneer of respectability of University of Chicago and today is front page of the NYT. https://t.co/a4ez9lR4H8
— Gregg Easterbrook (@EasterbrookG) August 4, 2024
Critics argue that the technique could lead to unpredictable and possibly catastrophic environmental changes, such as disrupting weather patterns and impacting ecosystems worldwide.
I'm sure a majority, or even a few, countries will agree and sign on to manipulating the entire planet's atmosphere. #EverythingIsFinehttps://t.co/MmIWIt2ewH
— Jane van Dis MD 🌎 (@janevandis) August 5, 2024
Keith’s geoengineering aspirations stir debate
Environmentalist David Suzuki has described the idea as “arrogant and simplistic,” emphasizing the unknown risks of deploying such powerful technology. Raymond Pierrehumbert, an atmospheric physicist at the University of Oxford, also voiced significant concerns, calling solar geoengineering a “grave threat to human civilization.
Despite these fears, Keith maintains that the risks of geoengineering are not as severe as critics claim and are outweighed by potential benefits.
He argues that even a modest reduction in global temperatures could save millions of lives by preventing heat-related deaths. Keith’s proposed experiments have faced significant opposition. In 2018, his plan to conduct a test involving the release of mineral dust from a high-altitude balloon was met with protests from Indigenous groups and environmental activists, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.
Ultimately, the experiment was called off. Opponents of solar geoengineering cite several main risks, including the potential for unintended environmental consequences and the ethical concerns of creating a “moral hazard” that might reduce the urgency to cut fossil fuel emissions. Termination shock, a rapid increase in temperatures if geoengineering were suddenly stopped, is another major concern.
Despite these challenges, Keith is determined to continue his research, emphasizing the potential benefits of solar geoengineering in combating climate change. He remains optimistic about the future, encouraged by the growing number of policymakers taking geoengineering seriously.
