The AMS goes on to say results of reflecting sunlight 'would almost certainly not be the same for all nations and peoples, thus raising legal, ethical, diplomatic and national security concerns.' One region may become a desert, while others become flooded out.Īnd if we learn to control SAI to tailor a favorable result, there's the concern it may be used for the disproportionate benefit of one nation over another. Any band-aid fix is bound to have unintended consequences and possibly cause a new set of problems. In other words, the atmosphere is complex. The AMS official policy statement regarding this type of geoengineering begins with a warning, 'Reflecting sunlight would likely reduce Earth's average temperature but could also change global circulation patterns with potentially serious consequences such as changing storm tracks and precipitation patterns.' A pace that would likely be too fast for humanity to adjust.

And if for whatever reason the aerosol missions stopped, within a few years the temperatures would shoot up at breakneck pace. The American Meteorological Society (AMS) expressed concerns that the possibility of seemingly quick and inexpensive fixes will distract the public and policymakers from addressing the underlying problems and developing adaptation strategies. Stunning photos of climate change 72 photos Like treating a fever with aspirin, this type of engineering only treats the symptoms, it does not fix the root cause of the warming: Escalating levels of heat trapping greenhouse gases produced by the burning of fossil fuels. As you can see, this would need to be a sustained and escalating effort.Īs one may imagine, a concept like this comes with a lot of controversy. In year one, there would be 4,000 missions, increasing to just over 60,000 per year by year 15. In their hypothetical plan, the fleet would start with eight planes in the first year and rise to just under 100 within 15 years. In total, the team estimates the development cost for the airframe to be $2 billion and $350 million to modify existing engines. They say its fuselage would have a stubby design and the wing area - as well as the thrust - would need to be twice as large. So, the team investigated what it would cost to develop an aircraft they dub the SAI Lofter (SAIL). The study's co-author, Wake Smith explained, 'No existing aircraft has the combination of altitude and payload capabilities required.' Partly because missions would need to be conducted at nearly double the cruising altitude of commercial airplanes. It would also be remarkably inexpensive, at an average of around $2 to 2.5 billion per year over the first 15 years.'īut to reach that point, the study said an entirely new aircraft needs to be developed.

would be technically possible strictly from an engineering perspective. He said their study shows this type of geoengineering '.

Gernot Wagner from Harvard University is an author of the paper. In this handout photo from Climate Central, they say scientists are looking at a variety of technologies - from snatching carbon dioxide out of the air like trees do, to launching giant mirrors into space - to artificially slow global warming.ĭr. The 1-degree temperature drop which accompanied Mount Pinatubo's eruption is equal to about half of the human-caused warming Earth has experienced since the Industrial Revolution began. Theoretically if done at scale - and sustained - the impact can be large. This proposed type of climate geoengineering is called stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI). Although controversial, some think that trying to mimic the impacts of a volcano eruption is a viable way to control global warming.

Corona weather ca 2018 november