Ships that are able to produce large chunks of ice in order to maintain the ice-levels of the North and South Pole, spaceships that manage to bounce off sunlight in order to decrease temperatures on earth or ships that can drop large quantities of iron into the ocean in order to stimulate the growth of plankton, also known as animals that absorb CO2. These are a few daring examples of how geo-engineering could save our planet.
CO2 emission numbers are increasing dramatically. As shown in the graph above, global emissions raised from nihil in 1800 to over 36 billion tonnes of CO2 nowadays. Geo-engineering is the deployment of new technologies to save the environment. Some call it a very dangerous intervention, but geo-engineering certainly has potential to maintain human-life on mother earth.
The more the emission numbers will increase, the more people will understand the importance of the effects that geo-engineering could bring. According to a large number of scientists, reducing CO2 emissions is not enough. They state that geo-engineering is needed to abate already existing quantities of CO2 in the atmosphere. However, these emerging technologies evoke new complications and consequences. Therefore a clear risk analysis is highly essential.
Geo-engineering comes with multiple rising organizational and ethical dilemmas. The solution to these dilemmas should be found international collaborative sphere: national, continental and worldwide. However, the disparate perceptions on geo-engineering currently leads to each party following their own strategy. Besides the diverging approaches towards geo-engineering, multiple risks in the manufacturing and implementation phase of these daring plans and the attaching immense costs are incredibly challenging.
What do you think about geo-engineering? Has it the potential to save our planet or are we already too late? Are there more fitting solutions? Share your thoughts with me and let me know in the comments!
Sources:
Ritchie, H. and Roser, M. (2018). CO₂ and Greenhouse Gas Emissions. [online] Our World in Data. Available at: https://ourworldindata.org/co2-and-other-greenhouse-gas-emissions [Accessed 14 Oct. 2019].
What is Geoengineering and Can It Save the Planet. (2018).
. University of California Television.
van Zon, H. (2019). Zelfs klimaat bijsturen in een optie. Algemeen Dagblad.
