Andrew,I for one applaud Ben's refusal to be drawn on governance issues -- surely we don't all need to talk about governance every time we give an interview -- and I feel similarly positive about his willingness to use scientific terminology! Also, remember when evaluating interviews that the subjects sometimes have only a modest degree of control over the words that appear once the journalist is done tightening the material for publication. This is a short interview, I would not be surprised if there was additional discussion that did not make it into "print".
--- Fred Zimmerman Geoengineering IT! Bringing together the worlds of geoengineering and information technology GE NewsFilter: http://geoengineeringIT.net:8080 On Fri, Oct 4, 2013 at 3:50 AM, Andrew Lockley <[email protected]>wrote: > Poster's note : I found Ben's interview style interesting. For clarity, I > think Ben is one of the finest minds in geoengineering research, and don't > mean to criticise his professional competence or personal integrity > whatsoever. However, a few things strike me when reading the text: > > 1) When considering experimentation, Ben omits consideration of the > Russians' small scale aerosol injection experiments, or our extensive, > practical understanding of many CDR technologies. > 2) He does not mention that ship tracks etc. inform our understanding of > real-world processes, without needing dedicated experiments. > 3) He generally refuses to be drawn on governance issues, and the military > and security aspects of geoengineering. In particular, he doesn't mention > the body of literature developed by other researchers on those issues. > 4) He uses scientific terminology (eg hydro cycle, sequestration, etc. ) > in the interview. > 5) He claims that stopping emissions is a permanent solution to climate > change. This doesn't address the issue of historic emissions, and may > confuse some readers. > > http://www.countercurrents.org/ithp031013.htm > > What Is Geoengineering And How Does It Work? > > By ITHP Staff > 03 October, 2013 > > It shouldn't come as a surprise that planet Earth is heating up. Though > many of us would applaud the idea of getting out our shorts and tank tops a > few days early, we'd quickly change our minds after examining the > consequences of global warming. Scientists looking for ways to combat > increasing temperatures are now exploring new innovative possibilities of > cooling the planet through modern technology.One such scientist is Ben > Kravitz. Dr. Kravitz is part of a group of scientists researching > geoengineering and hoping to prevent the future negative effects of global > warming. ITHP got to interview Dr. Kravitz about his work in climate > modeling and research. Enjoy. > > What is geoengineering and how does it work? > > That's actually a more difficult question than it sounds. But before I > begin answering that, I want to be perfectly clear. The only research > anyone has done on geoengineering has been using computer models or inside > lab space.There are two broad categories of geoengineering research, which > are known as Solar Reduction Methods (SRM) and Carbon Dioxide Removal > (CDR). These two technologies are really different, and they're really only > related in that they are ways people might intervene to reduce the effects > of global warming. SRM tries to reduce the amount of sunlight that reaches > the planet. There are several proposed ideas, such as putting reflectors in > space, making Earth's surface brighter, or putting a layer of sulfate > aerosols in the stratosphere. (The last one on that list is what large > volcanic eruptions do, and we know that volcanic eruptions can cool the > surface.) CDR attempts to reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere by > preventing its emission or by extracting it from the atmosphere and > sequestering it. There are other technologies that don't really fall neatly > into either category. My expertise is in SRM, so that's what I'll focus > on.The problem with all of those technologies is they're purely technical. > They don't say what geoengineering is supposed to do or how much > geoengineering would be done. Should geoengineering cool the planet by a > certain number of degrees? Should it change the hydrological cycle? Should > it restore sea ice? Should it prevent ocean acidification? All of these > questions (and a lot more) need to be answered by society, not by > scientists, before a technology or set of technologies is chosen, should > society decide it wants to pursue geoengineering.Another problem that > should be addressed is how geoengineering should be used. SRM is not a > permanent "fix" for climate change. It's imperfect and temporary (blocking > sunlight does different things to the climate than reducing CO2), and if > SRM is suddenly stopped, the climate will rebound very quickly to a warmer > one. The only permanent solution to climate change is to stop emitting CO2. > Geoengineering might be used as a way of temporarily keeping temperatures > below a dangerous level (I repeat might, since that hasn't been determined) > while efforts to reduce climate change's effects are ramped up. But that > too needs to be decided before geoengineering is used. Essentially, if > society decides to start geoengineering, it needs to have a plan for when > and how to stop.Geoengineering researchers such as myself are pursuing a > better understanding of geoengineering in case society comes up with such a > plan. > > What is your present role relating to geoengineering? > > I am a climate modeler, which means I take computer models of the climate > and "ask" them what the effect of geoengineering might be if geoengineering > is done in a certain way. I'm currently coordinating the Geoengineering > Model Intercomparison Project (GeoMIP), which is an organized group of > climate modeling centers around the world who are conducting the same > simulations of geoengineering. We've just completed a round of simulations > in which we looked at very idealized simulations ("turning down" the sun in > response to an increase in CO2) and a few more realistic ones involving > stratospheric sulfate aerosols. We've just designed some new experiments > that will look at the effects of brightening marine low clouds, like the > kind you can see off the coast of California. > > What are the dangers of geoengineering? Publications such as the New York > Times have claimed the potential consequences of geoengineering to be > detrimental citing potential shifts in the ozone and rainfall levels being > adversely affected? > > That really depends on how geoengineering is done. We're still learning a > lot about the potential effects, and it's fair to say there is quite a lot > we don't know. It has been shown in climate models that stratospheric > sulfate aerosols could cause changes in ozone and precipitation patterns. > CDR has its own risks, although I know a lot more about SRM. Even beyond > the climatic consequences, there are many potential geopolitical > consequences of geoengineering, on which I'm also not an expert. > Geoengineering is a large, multi-disciplinary issue, and it's taking a lot > of work from a lot of very smart people to figure out all of the questions > that need to be answered. > > Since geoengineering most likely will affect the entire world who will > vote on this? The United Nations? Are we waiting on a global governance > system? > > I'm not an expert on the governance of geoengineering, so all I can say is > there are a lot of very complex issues involved. Researchers can explore if > and how geoengineering can help, but policymakers have to take the lead on > if and how to put it into action. > > At present is there any form of geoengineering currently going on in the > U.S? Most Americans by now have seen planes spraying cities with large > contrails that can turn the entire sky white. Is this normal? As a > scientist do you know why this spraying will happen than cease completely > for weeks? > > There is no form of geoengineering currently going on in the U.S., and > airplanes are not "spraying" anything. Contrails are basically just a > specific type of cloud. You get them when you mix warm, moist air (jet > exhaust) with cold, dry air (the atmosphere at those high altitudes). You > can see the same effect on a cold day, when you can see your breath. > Contrails form when conditions allow those clouds to form. If the > atmosphere where the plane is flying isn't cold or dry enough, a contrail > won't form and you won't see the plane's exhaust. But the air changes a lot > (there are winds, and air moves around), which is why you might see a > patchy looking contrail. > > What progress are other countries making such as China in controlling the > weather? > > I really don't know enough about weather control to be able to answer this > question. Geoengineering is designed to affect the climate, not the > weather, and weather is not my area of expertise. > > In your opinion why are military strategists are taking a close interest > in geoengineering? > > As I'm not affiliated with any military organization, I cannot say whether > any military strategists are interested in geoengineering or why they would > be interested. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "geoengineering" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/geoengineering. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "geoengineering" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/geoengineering. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
