"E&T asks whether engineers should play God, making fundamental changes to the
environment and attempting to control climate change. "
Should engineers control the eco-system?
23 April 2012By Anne Harris
With the visible effects of climate change growing, is it time for engineers to
step in and make fundamental changes to the eco-system?
Anyone who has delved into the morass of conflicting reports and opinions that
surround the thorny issue of climate change will readily admit that plain
‘truth’ is not easy to come by. There are many fields in science where
controversies still remain. This is healthy for science. It keeps us on our
toes and forces us to question our assumptions and models. So it is revealing
that, when it comes to climate change, the overwhelming majority of scientists
acknowledge that it is taking place, that it is potentially catastrophic and
is, in all likelihood, caused by humans.
Having given this acceptance, the next question on scientists’ lips is whether
anything can be done. The drive is on, albeit grudgingly and at an agonisingly
torpid pace, to limit the volume of greenhouse gases that are pumped into the
atmosphere, but that alone is unlikely to be sufficient. What is really
required is a solution that will reverse the climate-change effects, and this
has been dubbed ‘geoengineering’.
much more here: http://eandt.theiet.org/magazine/2012/04/index.cfm
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