Scientists Warn that Massive Geo-Engineering Projects May Be Necessary. By David Adam, London Guardian, September 1, 2008. "Scientists from around the world [warned Monday, that]... a reluctance 'at virtually all levels' to address [global warming] means [CO2] levels in the atmosphere are on track to pass 650 [ppm], which could bring an average global temperature rise of 4C. [Writing the introduction to a special collection of scientific papers on the subject, published Monday by the Royal Society,] they call for more research on geo-engineering options to cool the Earth, such as dumping massive quantities of iron into oceans to boost plankton growth, and seeding artificial clouds over oceans to reflect sunlight back into space... Such geo-engineering options have been talked about for years as a... last-ditch [solution] if efforts to constrain emissions fail [though] critics argue they are a dangerous distraction... and... could have disastrous side-effects. Mike Childs of Friends of the Earth said: 'We can't afford to wait for magical geo-engineering solutions to get us out of the hole we have dug ourselves into. The solutions that exist now, such as a large-scale energy efficiency programme and investment in wind, wave and solar power, can do the job if we deploy them at the scale and urgency that is needed.'"
2008-09-02
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