Geoengineering, Essay Example

Global warming and climate change are two very real concerns of scientists and researchers around the world, and while several solutions for each of those problems are already in place, none of them seem to be making much of a difference; the environment is still suffering and people around the world can feel the environmental result of global warming and climate change. Geoengineering is a newly researched technology, and it is a potential solution for the increasing problems concerning global warming and climate change.  While the research regarding geoengineering is still relatively slim, there is a very common thread through the works of many researchers: geoengineering is certainly promising, but there are many ways that it might go wrong.  Because of the very versatile nature of the new technology and the threat of massive, unforeseen global impact, any implementation of geoengineering should be well researched, well planned, and scientists responsible for the results of geoengineering should be prepared to handle any problems that might arise from it.  Zang Yanzhu and Alfred Posch emphasize the idea of unforeseen consequences at the hands of scientists toying with geoengineering, and they explain that there is “no accepted weighting mechanism of geoengineering side effects and impacts” to predict such results (404).  Clare Heyward is also wary of the use of geoengineering over traditional attempts to cut back on emissions, and she writes that we should “focus on specific features of proposed technologies and the appropriate mix of emission reductions” rather than place hope in geoengineering (26).  Many researchers support the belief that geoengineering, while being a technology with some potential, should be treated with caution, as there are many unforeseen consequences that might arise from its utilization.

Works Cited

Heyward, Clare. “Situating and Abandoning Geoengineering: A Typology of Five Responses to Dangerous Climate Change.” Political Science and Politics, 46.1 (2013): 23-27. Print.

Yanzhu, Zang & Alfred Posch. “The Wickedness and Complexity of Decision Making in Geoengineering.” Challenges 5.1 (2014): 390-408. EBSCOHost. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.