27. Will Geoengineering Save Us?

Rundown In this episode, Mexie explores what geoengineering can (and can’t) provide in terms of climate change mitigation and adaptation. She outlines various options in the two main geoengineering categories: Carbon Dioxide Removal (removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere) and Solar Radiation Management (reducing the amount of solar radiation that hits the earth’s surface). The options in the first category are safer than the options in the latter, however each comes with serious risk. Geoengineering has been gaining traction with the release of the latest IPCC report, but could a geoengineered world be even more dystopian than a 4-6C temperature increase? Sources and Links * Aaron Byrd and Sofia Perpetua, How it Happens – Carbon Capture: https://www.nytimes.com/video/science/100000002990028/how-it-happens-carbon-capture.html * Jan Christoph Minx and Gregory Nemet, The Inconvenient Truth About Carbon Capture: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/theworldpost/wp/2018/05/31/carbon-capture/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.9ab0e07ee02d * James Temple, The Carbon Capture Era May Finally Be Starting: https://www.technologyreview.com/s/610296/the-carbon-capture-era-may-finally-be-starting/ * Climate Vision, The Negatives of Carbon Capture and Storage: http://climatevision.co.uk/the-negatives-of-carbon-capture-and-storage * Umair Irfan, Will Carbon Capture and Storage Ever Work?: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/will-carbon-capture-and-storage-ever-work/ * Jonathan Watts, Geoengineering May be Used to Combat Global Warming, Experts Say: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/08/geoengineering-global-warming-ipcc * Fiona Harvey, Reflecting the Sun’s Rays Would Cause Crops to Fail, Scientists Warn: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/aug/08/reflecting-suns-rays-would-cause-crops-to-fail-scientists-warn * Peter Beaumont, Scientists Suggest a Giant Sunshade in the Sky Could Solve Global Warming: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/apr/05/scientists-suggest-giant-sunshade-in-sky-could-solve-global-warming * Rima Sabina Aouf, Five Geoengineering Solutions Proposed to Fight Climate Change: https://www.dezeen.com/2018/10/18/five-geoengineering-solutions-climate-change-un-ipcc-technology Support the Show