What are the implications of geoengineering? And should scientists be held responsible for their failures?
How serious is the threat of global
warming? One way to figure out is to take your cues from some leading climate scientists:
They have moved on. That doesn't mean they've abandoned the issue, but they are
looking beyond what all agree is the most obvious solution -- decreasing the
amount of carbon we spew into the atmosphere in the first place.
These scientists are beginning to look
for a Plan B. There are two
distinct approaches under consideration -- sucking carbon
out of the atmosphere, or creating an artificial sun shield for the planet. The
former, which involves reversing some of the very processes that are leading to the climate problem, is expensive. The
latter just sounds scary. David
Keith,
a leading thinker on geoengineering, calls it "chemotherapy" for
the planet. "You are repulsed?" he says. "Good. No one should like it. It's a
terrible option."
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