Analysis & Opinions - CNN

Try Solar Geoengineering

| November 30, 2015

It's probably the most important number you've never heard of: 2 degrees Celsius.

That's when climate change starts to get especially dangerous. CNN.com invited authors, experts and activists to weigh in on the 2-degree target. What's at stake? And how can we actually get there?

One the most powerful options to counter climate change is solar geoengineering: an engineered increase in the Earth's reflectivity, resulting in cooler temperatures for the planet's surface. It might be done by injecting sulfate aerosols or even diamond dust into the stratosphere, where they would reflect sunlight just as do the droplets in a very thin cloud layer.

It is not a substitute for cutting emissions — it is a supplement. We can't keep using the atmosphere as a waste dump for carbon and expect to have good climate, no matter what we do to reflect away some sunlight....

Continue reading: http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/23/opinions/opinion-roundup-climate-change/

For more information on this publication: Belfer Communications Office
For Academic Citation: Keith, David.“Try Solar Geoengineering.” CNN, November 30, 2015.

The Author

David Keith

David Keith

  • Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School
Expertise:
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