Fergus wrote:
> Okay, so geoengineering is a controversial area, but when I first came
> across this idea, of creating CCNs in critical ocean areas using
> superfine seawater 'mist', I must admit to being a bit taken with it.
> On the surface, there is a lot going for the proposal, not least of
> which is the relatively low cost and low carbon footprint.
>
> I know that it doesn't answer the problem of CO2, but as an interim
> measure, is it workable? I haven't seen the paper in JAS yet (it has
> been accepted), and there doesn't appear to be that much interest; is
> there a good reason for this?
> I'm putting this here because I'd like to hear a reasoned discussion
> of the merits or otherwise of the proposal. Anyone got a response?
In my (probably minority) view, the general lack of interest in (or even
mild revulsion at) the various geoengineering ideas is indicative of the
extent to which various factions are actually hooking a general
sustainability/conservation meme on the back of climate change. To these
people, solving the "problem" of climate change by controlling the
climate isn't actually their aim, it is merely the means to promote
sustainable living. The latter is no bad thing in itself, and there is a
rather obvious potential for overlap, but it is (IMO) a big mistake to
be too wedded to the strategy one can be sneaked in under the pretense
of addressing the other.
I fully accept that future climate change has the potential to cause
significant disruption, at least on a local scale (I don't see us ending
up huddling round the arctic coast with the last few polar bears,
dodging the methane fireballs, even as a worst case). But I don't
actually think that any reasoned analysis would support a return to the
pre-industrial state, except perhaps due to some sort of strong innate
preference for the (mythical?) "natural" state (as opposed to measurable
welfare considerations).
James
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