Engineering the Atmosphere - Dr. David Keith, Harvard

What if the day comes that humans need to make massive,
intentional changes to the earth in order to ensure the survival
of the species? Perhaps the solar radiation from the sun
increases, or the orbits of the planets shift, or greenhouse
gases accumulate to fatal levels. These changes could result in
the kind of intense warming that happened during the cretaceous,
when palm frond and freshwater ferns dominated the polar
landscapes. According to some, the best strategy for avoiding
this kind of cataclysmic change is to, quite literally, block out
the sun.  It sounds risky, pre-apocalyptic, and almost
hubristic. Who are these humans who think on a planetary scale,
and refuse to turn away from the challenge of engineering the
atmosphere? Our guest today, Harvard professor Dr. David Keith,
is an illustrative example of the field. While he studies what
sorts of interventions could be used to turn down the intensity
of incident solar radiation, in the next breath he’ll be the
first to suggest that perhaps spraying sulfuric acid, aluminum,
titanium, or diamond dust into the atmosphere isn’t a very good
idea.   Our conversation covers all aspects of solar
geoengineering. The state of the field, the incentives for
developing systems that can change global climates, the
likelihood of private actors taking matters into their own hands,
and much more.   Subscribe & like so we can keep
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