Geoengineering Effect On Climate Change

There is no doubt that climate change is happening, and it is happening fast. The average surface temperature of the planet has risen about 2.0 degrees Fahrenheit since the late 19th century. This is due by an increase in human-made emissions like carbon dioxide, which are thrown into the atmosphere. The past thirty-five years have been crucial for the planet since they were the warmest years on record. Not only has the planet witnessed a global temperature rise, but the oceans have absorbed much of the increased heat, global sea level rose about eight inches only in the last century, and the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets have decreased in mass. As the data collected by the The NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment show, “Greenland

Climate activists and scientists have dedicated time into researching techniques for geoengineering such as “reflecting sunlight from space, adding vast quantities of lime or iron filings to the oceans, pumping deep cold nutrient-rich waters to the surface of oceans and irrigating vast areas of the north African and Australian deserts to grow millions of trees” (Vidal). The techniques did show that there would be a potential temperature drop of approximately eight

It is public knowledge that it has been around for many years now. According to Eli Kintisch, since the 1960s scientists knew that the carbon emissions that humanity is currently emitting will be around for numerous thousands of years, even if it is a go for geoengineering. This kind of mindset let civilization to think that scientists could lead the way and help disappear climate change, but this is where environmentalists stand out. As the ecologist and entrepreneur Stewart Brand said, “greens are no longer strictly the defenders of natural systems against the incursions of civilization; now they’re the defenders of civilization” (Kintisch, 233). So now it is not only up to scientists to protect humanity, but it is environmentalists jobs too, which is why it is valid for them to question if geoengineering is a viable and safe