Geoengineering: ‘A Bad Idea Whose Time Has Come’, Essay Example

“Geoengineering: ‘A Bad Idea Whose Time Has Come’” discusses the concept of geoengineering, a controversial field that many scientists believe will help us cool the planet and protect ourselves from the negative consequences of global warming. Although researchers have proposed many ways that this could be done, critics of geoengineering believe that these ideas seem far-fetched and are unlikely to work. Despite the fact that techniques such as dumping iron dust in the ocean, creating algae to suck up carbon, and putting a giant lens between the earth and the sun to reflect rays seem like ridiculous concepts, they may soon become necessary because the impact of global warming is now at an all-time high.

The article focuses on a backup plan known as the “Pinatubo Operation” in which sulfur dioxide will be released into our atmosphere to block some of the sun’s rays and cool the planet. This is based on a real event that occurred in 1991 in which 10 million tons of this substance was released into our environment due to a volcanic eruption. Scientists have been considering mimicking this eruption because it allowed to earth to be cooled by several degrees. However, critics of this plan argue that while it allows the earth to be cooled, it doesn’t address the underlying issue of global warming and the problem will return.

Another proposed solution, algae absorption of carbon, has already entered its testing phase. Critics of the plan recommend that the testing be stopped because it requires the dumping of mass amounts of iron into the ocean, which increases pollution and violates international agreements. Despite this, there is a clear need for scientists to develop and advance techniques geoengineering techniques that may feasibly stop climate change as a consequence of global warming.

Although I believe that geoengineering is necessary because we are seeing greater and greater impacts of global warming and need to put a stop to it, it is necessary to treat the underlying cause of global warming rather than treat its symptoms. Releasing sulfur dioxide into the environment would be an example of a “treatment”, and I believe that there would be many negative consequences of doing so. Not only will doing this not reduce the temperature of the atmosphere long term, but the sulfur dioxide in the air could negatively impact the health of many humans and animals. While it would be nice to lower the temperature of our environment, it is not worth damaging our ecosystems over for a technique that would have to be repeated consistently to maintain effectiveness.

As such, it is better to enforce stricter policy that prevents pollution and reduces the amount of carbon dioxide emitted in our environment. Since trees and plants naturally absorb carbon dioxide, a dramatic reduction in its admission could lead to our planet being able to virtually repair itself of the harm that we have done. To help this process, we should increase the percentage of trees and other plants in our environments; green roofs in urban settings and a decrease in deforestation would be an excellent start. Ultimately, I think that geoengineering is useful as a last resort, but we should focus on the other options that we have before doing so.