global temperatures
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Dr. David Keith’s proposal to cool Earth sparks debate
David Keith suggests releasing sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere to lower global temperatures, igniting both interest and concern over the potential risks and benefits of geoengineering.
In short:
- David Keith proposes using sulfur dioxide in the stratosphere to reduce global warming, drawing parallels to the cooling effect of the 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption.
- Critics fear geoengineering could lead to unforeseen global consequences, such as altered weather patterns and health risks, and divert attention from reducing fossil fuel use.
- Keith acknowledges the risks but emphasizes the potential to save millions of lives by mitigating heat-related deaths.
Key quote:
“There are unintended consequences of powerful technologies like these, and we have no idea what they will be.”
— David Suzuki, Canadian environmentalist
Why this matters:
Geoengineering is increasingly discussed as a potential tool against climate change, but its deployment poses ethical and environmental challenges. While it might offer a temporary solution to rising temperatures, it may also introduce new risks and delay essential efforts to reduce carbon emissions.
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Where the world warmed the most in Earth’s hottest year
A Washington Post analysis of climate data found one-fifth of the planet was 2 degrees Celsius warmer than in the late 1800s, before humans started burning fossil fuels on a large scale.
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Extreme weather hits around the world as global temperatures rise
A mix of devastating wildfires, tropical storms, mudslides and heat waves foreshadows a future of intensified extremes as the world warms.
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‘We are damned fools’: Scientist who sounded climate alarm in 80s warns of worse to come
The world is shifting towards a superheated climate not seen in the past 1m years, prior to human existence, because “we are damned fools” for not acting upon warnings over the climate crisis, according to James Hansen, the US scientist who alerted the world to the greenhouse effect in the 1980s.
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Appalachia’s quiet time bombs
The deadly floods that swept a pocket of eastern Kentucky challenge common preconceptions about climate villains and victims.
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'Solar geoengineering' could make malaria even worse
A popular idea to soften the blow of global warming might also make the world’s malaria problem even worse.
mashable.com
Why the sun isn't causing today's climate change
Yes, the sun is a profoundly important factor in Earth's climate. It always will be. But scientists, like those at NASA, know the sun isn't causing the current, rapid rise in global temperatures.
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