Geoengineering


p 164 Worldwide Long Range Solutions: Special Interest Groups:

#54894: How about fighting the greenhouse effect by sending lots of dust into the atmosphere, to block light like those volcanoes did during the chill snap of '09? ...


Status

Open. (Feasible, but controversial)

 

Reality

Futurism and predictions are much more about trends than specific future events. So it is often bemusing (and amusing!)  to learn that a specific date is actually correct! In this case, the northern hemisphere did, indeed, suffer a cold snap in 2010 ( not 2009) and there were significant volcanic eruptions in Iceland which caused major disruptions to air flights.

 

As concerns about the impact and sheer scale climate change has gathered pace over the last ten years, people have increasingly been considering ways to mitigate the worst of the effects. Many proposals have been made, and many are quite feasible at first glance. However, a big question looms over their efficacy. The ecosphere is a complicated system, and we really don't know enough about the effects of such activities to be justified in attempting them wholesale, save as a last resort.

 

As a case in point, the northern cold snap was due, not to Icelandic eruptions, but to blocking weather systems caused by kinks in the jet streams which, in turn, were caused by the quiet sun (they also caused a heat wave in Russia)

 

References