New
Yorker: In an extensive article for the
New Yorker, Michael Specter ponders the question of
geoengineering the planet to mitigate the effects of global
warming. Two distinct schemes exist: reducing the impact of the
Sun, or removing carbon from the atmosphere. The former is
riskier, whether it involves such proposals as "seeding clouds,
spreading giant mirrors in the desert, or injecting sulfates
into the stratosphere." The latter method is safer, but it is
also more expensive and would require significant technological
advances. And because the warming is a global problem, a number
of questions arise, including, Who will do what? And what if
the other countries don't agree? The best solution, most
scientists concur, would be to stop burning fossil fuels.
Unfortunately, Specter writes, "that fact has been emphasized
in virtually every study that addresses the potential effect of
climate change on the earthâmdash;and there
have been manyâmdash;but none have had a
discernible impact on human behavior or government
policy."
