Well, I heartily disagree with the "maddening" environmentalists opposing SRM research, but I would nonetheless plead to be careful with formulations such as: "even if that is effectively impossible because the world’s two most populous nations, China and India, embrace coal-burning power plants as essential to future economic growth" Should solar power (including storage) become cheaper than fuel-based, then this will eventually trigger a shift - albeit maybe too late to reach 2 degree, so some geoengineering may be much needed. But I think we all agree that a transition away from fossils, even if not in time for 2 degrees, would be most welcome (the fewer emissions, the less geoengineering we need); and the best way to achieve a transition away from fossils is by pushing it, even if starting with only a few countries. The (seemingly ridiculously expensive) roll-out of solar and wind in a few countries like Germany and Denmark greatly reduced the prices of these technologies through learning-by-doing; same could happen with storage once it is pushed for. Energy transition is more dynamic (and chaotic) than often acknowledged (*), so let's not give up on it verbally - but let's of course also keep investigating geoengineering as a complementary strategy.
(*) e.g. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/wcc.698 Best Claudia Op ma 15 feb. 2021 om 13:51 schreef Andrew Lockley <[email protected] >: > > https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2021/02/14/opinion/greens-who-object-to-geoengineering-put-planet-at-risk/ > > Extract > > ...a new controversy in Sweden shows once again the maddening nature of > modern environmentalism. The same green groups that warn that climate > change will worsen or ruin the lives of billions of people are opposed to > using advanced technology to reduce the effects of greenhouse gas > emissions. Instead, they insist the main solutions must be 1) a planetary > abandonment of dirty fuels — even if that is effectively impossible because > the world’s two most populous nations, China and India, embrace > coal-burning power plants as essential to future economic growth — and 2) > dramatic changes in how humans lead lives and consume natural resources > > -- > 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 view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/geoengineering/CAJ3C-04Z-s3TMx3ps42QeEwWJdk1goWdd1pOHfOjzp16pGChEg%40mail.gmail.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/geoengineering/CAJ3C-04Z-s3TMx3ps42QeEwWJdk1goWdd1pOHfOjzp16pGChEg%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- 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 view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/geoengineering/CAJUUK5dmo7Cjut47MpyuS6NqPqomZFPVds8x8qp%3D0Z91COcYxQ%40mail.gmail.com.
