What if someone wanted to deploy a massive project to try to reverse climate change today? Perhaps some researchers wanted to spray sulfur particles into the stratosphere to reflect away some of the sun’s energy, cooling the Earth in an attempt to compensate for global warming.
Or perhaps a group wanted to unload some fertilizer into the ocean, so more algae will grow and absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Their actions may have global consequences, but would such projects have to answer to a global governing body?
Such geoengineering projects — Earth-altering plans to combat global warming — sound pretty futuristic. Indeed, it would be decades before such projects are likely to be deployed, if they ever are, say scientists InnovationNewsDaily contacted. Yet a little bit of the future is already here, as researchers have just started to propose outdoor experiments for technologies that would apply to geoengineering projects. Previously, researchers studied the effects of geoengineering in labs or using computer programs, but now a few groups want to try experiments outside of the lab. Harvard University researchers David Keith and James Anderson recently grabbed headlines for a proposal to put small amounts of sulfur particles into the air, to study how such particles interact with the atmosphere.
The lefties/greenies have good intentions. There is no need for rules, limits, guidelines – or even fully vetted scientific understanding of the risks.
Establishing rules for such projects implies a basis for them that does not exist.
“The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” – Proverb
“Nature is an expert in cost-benefit analysis. Although she does her accounting a little differently. As for debts, she always collects in the long run…” ― Margaret Atwood
Most of the ideas are banned under illegal dumping laws already. If you dumped a oceanliner full of fertilizer into the ocean, you’d be met with one nasty fine for oxygen depletion, and aereal spraying of sulfuur is in violation of all the visible and sulfur emisison standards. It’s realistically the same ans taking drums of hazardous waste and dumping them off the side of the road. Willful, deliberate pollution actually can net you jail time without any confounding factors
The only one that can be deployed without government permit is the orbital mirror idea
Hey, there’s a good idea. Let’s change the fish environment and kill them all off.
Make them prepare and Environmental Impact Statement; that will cool their heels for a few decades.