Geoengineering, the deliberate large-scale manipulation of Earth’s climate systems, has emerged from academic debate to become a potential last resort in the fight against runaway climate change. These interventions carry enormous risks and plans should include them as last choices after all other strategies.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has warned that limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels is essential to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change[i]. Yet, current trajectories suggest far more severe warming is coming. A study published in Nature Climate Change shows that there is a significant risk of exceeding 4°C of warming by 2100 under current policies[ii].
The consequences of such warming are almost unimaginable. There would be widespread ecosystem collapse, mass extinctions, severe food and water shortages, and the displacement of hundreds of millions of people. In this context, geoengineering looks less like a reckless gamble and more like a necessary risk.
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