Environment

Too hot? Open the window

The Guardian reports that the US National Academy of Science has proposed a study of large-scale geo-engineering to reduce the amount of sunlight and heat that is reaching the planets’ surface.

Proponents of geoengineering argue that impacts of global heating could be so great that every option to limit these must be explored. Opponents argue that such research increases the risk that such technologies could be deployed, perhaps by rogue states, instead of cutting emissions. Critics also warn that solar geoengineering could cause damage such as crop failures, and would need to be maintained to avoid a sudden hike in temperature, unless carbon emissions fall rapidly.

So rather than focus on turning the heating down, we could pump more junk into the atmosphere. A bit like opening the window but leaving the heating on.