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The Climate Question Podcast
Should we ‘dim the sun’ to save the planet?

Should we ‘dim the sun’ to save the planet?

The Climate Question vor 5 Jahren

Could solar geoengineering help us avoid the worst impacts of climate change?

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27:14

Scientists agree that cutting carbon emissions as soon as
possible is key to tackling global warming. But as emissions
continue to rise, some are now calling for more research into
measures that could be used alongside decarbonisation, including
– controversially – what’s known as ‘solar geoengineering’
technologies. One idea being considered is spraying
light-reflecting particles into the atmosphere to temporarily
cool down the earth. It may sound far-fetched, but the idea is
based on naturally observed effects following volcanic eruptions.
Scientists are now asking whether we could mimic those effects to
avoid the worst climate impacts. But research into this
technology is not without opposition. A recent solar
geoengineering experiment in Sweden got cancelled following a
fierce backlash from indigenous and environmental groups. Many
say tampering with the climate in this way is too risky to ever
try in the real world. So how does solar geoengineering work?
What are the risks? And will we ever have to use it?
Contributors: Elizabeth Kolbert, staff writer at the New Yorker
and author of Under a White Sky Asa Larrson-Blind, Vice-President
of the Saami Council Raymond Pierrehumbert, Halley Professor of
Physics at the University of Oxford David Keith, Professor of
Applied Physics and Public Policy at Harvard University

Presenters: Neal Razzell and Graihagh Jackson Producers: Zoe
Gelber and Jordan Dunbar Series producer: Rosamund Jones Editor:
Emma Rippon