Moral Hazard Argument Against Geoengineering
Geoengineering can be a risky option to counter climate change, not just because it is not verified on the results that could happen but the unpredictable changes that it could bring to the Earth and new problems that were never expected. There are many uncertainties dealing with Geoengineering of the climate.
Before making a case on which argument against geoengineering poses the most significant challenge, the biggest component is understanding what geoengineering is and why there could be a moral hazard argument against it. The definition of geoengineering by dictionary.com is to make a large-scale effort to modify (the earth or its environment), especially to counteract global warming: Pulling carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere is one way to geoengineer the planet. Some examples of geoengineering that could be explored (The pros and cons of engineering , 2012):
• Adding SO2 to the stratosphere- this could reflect sunlight back into space and thus cooling the planet o Pro: could offset warming, feasible and affordable o Cons: reduces rainfall, alter climates, could whiten the sky
• Whiten marine clouds- spray seawater into the air, salt water should increase the droplets in the clouds; make them whiter and more reflective and thus cooling the planet. o Pros: could offset warming, not toxic and affordable and feasible. o Cons: might not work, technology is not around and could alter climate
• Ocean Fertilisation- add nutrients such as iron to the oceans to enhance the growth of plankton. If the dead plankton sink to the bottom of the ocean the carbon in their bodies will be safely locked away. o Pros: safe, will slow ocean acidification o Cons: Alter ecosystems, will cause areas ...
... middle of paper ...
...ctober 25). Geoengineering Could Be Essential to Reducing the Risk of Climate Change. Retrieved April 7, 2014 from MIT Technology Review : http://www.technologyreview.com/news/506256/geoengineering-could-be-essential-to-reducing-the-risk-of-climate-change/
• Geoengineering. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved April 07, 2014, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/geoengineering
• Hale, B. (2012). The World that Would Have Been . In C. J. Preston (Ed.), Engineering the Climate (pp. 113-131). Lanham, Maryland , US: Lexington Books .
• Jankunis, F. ( 2014, March 24). Lecture Geoengineering the climate presented in Philosophy 2236. Univerisity of Lethbridge, Lethbrige, Ab.
• The pros and cons of engineering . (2012, September 20 ). Retrieved April 7, 2014 from New Scientist : http://www.newscientist.com/gallery/geoengineering
Global Warming, much of what does or does not happen forty years from now rests on our actions or inactions taken between now and then. The crucial question is whether we should pour all our resources into mitigation – reducing our carbon emissions. According to scientists who study the climate there are other environmental problems; “we now face a global crises in land use and agriculture that could undermine the health, security, and sustainability of our civilization”.
In his piece on climate change, Richard Lindzen addresses his stance on the heated debate of global warming. He claims that there is, in fact, no ongoing catastrophic temperature increase. Lindzen, a Professor of Meteorology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a recipient of the Jule Charney award from the American Meteorological Society (Richard Lindzen), believes that the earth goes through natural phases of warming and cooling. In this piece, he examines why he believes people have a false conception of Earth’s climate shifts.
Socolow, Robert., Hotinski, Roberta., Greenblatt, Jeffery B., Pacala, Stephen.. "SOLVING THE CLIMATE PROBLEM." Environment10(2004):8. eLibrary. Web. 11 Dec. 2013.
Van Jones biography — Climate Solutions. (n.d.). Home — Climate Solutions. Retrieved October 15, 2013, from http://climatesolutions.org/programs/van-jones-biography
Global warming has become on of the most controversial issues in the media today. While most of the Western world countries have generally accepted the premise that man's chemical emissions in the atmosphere can and are affected by the world’s climate patterns, in the United States, the issue has become so politicized with many republicans challenging the science behind the theory. Global warming is a greenhouse effect whereby gases are trapped on the earth’s surface causing it to heat up (Maslin 14). It is based on the worldwide temperature records that have been maintained by human beings through their activities since the 1880,s. In addition, global warming is not only caused by human activities only but also through climate changes in solar radiance. The problem is that, humans continue to contribute to the global warming phenomenon. All citizens should work in reducing human activities that cause global warming and also support the development of nuclear power. Scientists deem that, global warming is mainly caused by human activities which accelerate the natural process by creating greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Human activities have become a great contribution to the greenhouse effect and this means that climate changes are inevitable. They further argue that, if these activities continue and are not reduced, it will lead to more trapping of energy radiated from the earth and this will likely lead to extreme weather and global warming. Global warming should be at reduced levels or else, it will be catastrophic.
Globally, climate change is regarded as both an urgent as well as serious issue (Stern, 2006). Defined as the lasting and significant change in the statistical distribution of the patterns of weather over periods that range between years to decades, climate change is believed to be a result of the human activities which have lead to global warming over the years (Sagan& Chyba1997). Other prospective contributors to climate change include biotic processes, solar radiation variations, volcanic eruptions and plate tectonics. Scientists continue to work actively with the aim of understanding the past as well as the future climate through observations and the use of theoretical models. A climate record has been assembled through the deep extension into the past of the earth .This assembly continues to be built up based on evidence that is geological in nature such as borehole temperature profiles, faunal and floral records, glacial process among others.
One of the most compelling and difficult environmental problems society faces today is climate change. People do not realize how much the environment has changed for the worse in the last ten years, until they are told that the last two decades of the 20th century have been the hottest in the last 400 years, according to climate studies (Conserve Energy Future). Today, the carbon dioxide levels have reached 396.81 parts per million (ppm). “Carbon dioxide (CO2) has also increased over the last 100 years-- from about 300 ppm to 370 ppm. Interestingly, the majority of these additions have occurred in the last 50 years, when temperature increases have been the slowest” (geocraft).
Interactions between human and the ecosystem have been operating for millenniums, and are impossible to eliminate, as each depends on the other in order to survive and flourish. However, as modern technology advances, as well as the increase in the world’s population, the need for natural resources begin to rise to an alarming rate which has started to gradually destroy the ecosystem. Recently, there has been an increase of sea levels in region whilst other rain-bounty areas have begun to experience their first droughts. This phenomenon is known as climate change. Climatologists have concluded that human activity has played a major role in contributing to the changes, therefore requiring extreme measures before this phenomenon evolves into a catastrophe. In this essay, we will discuss human activities that contributed to climate change, as well as addressing possible solutions to the phenomenon.
“An introduction to climate change.” Natural Resource Defense Council. Natural Resources Defense Council 8 November 2015 n. pag. Web. 28 November 2015.
There is no longer any question that our world climate has changed (King, 2004). Over the last 100 years, "temperatures have risen by about 0.6 degrees Celsius and global sea level has risen by about 20cm" (K...
Furthermore, this analysis must take place amidst serious gaps in the existing research and technology concerning the developing climatic conditions. For these reasons, global warming stands as one of the most daunting policy issues facing our world today. This is compounded by the debate over the very existence of climate change. While countless sources of empirical evidence testify to the very real presence of climate change the world over, considerable denial of the phenomenon still exists. The argument has been made that evidence of climate change is a gross overstatement, or in some cases, a complete fabrication.
Thelen, Herbert and Withall, John (1949). “Three frames of reference: The description of climate” Human Relations 2(2): 159 -76
Global warming and the greenhouse effect are issues discussed by scientists all the time. A natural process that keeps earths temperature at a livable rate is called the greenhouse effect. The energy from the sun warms up the earth when the rays from the sun are absorbed by greenhouse gasses. The gasses then become trapped in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane and nitrous oxide are the most common greenhouse gasses. Greenhouse gases cause the radiant heat of the sun to be trapped in the Earths lower atmosphere which causes global warming. If there weren’t any greenhouse gasses, the earth would be really cold due to very little sun rays being absorbed on the earth. Global warming can and will lead to several problems that affect the environment in which we humans live in. These problems can lead to warmer temperatures all around the world, it can endanger animals and the wildlife, and it can lead to widespread flooding from the glaciers melting. Here are a few more future effects that I will discuss in more detail about. Damage to human health, Severe stress on forests, wetlands, and other natural habitats, how fish will be affected. Global warming is a serious problem that will affect our generation when we are older.
Global warming and climate change have been frequent topics of discussion over the past several years. Although people tend to focus on the politics, it is time to look past the media aspects of it and into the cold hard facts of what our Earth is currently experiencing, and what caused it in the first place. The cause of climate change includes natural causes, but human causes are what is generating such a rapid global change. It’s time that the ways in which humanity affects the Earth’s climate, how scientists record and measure the climate change, and what can be done in everyday life to slow it down and/or stop global warming, are recognized.
Hardy, J. T. Climate Change: Causes, Effects, and Solutions. New York: J. Wiley, 2003. Print.