To think it's time to attempt geoengineering? (things like blocking out the sun...)

[FloorWipes]

I think more of us are coming to the realisation that climate change is getting bad and affecting our day to day lives. We can see it's not predictable and at risk of getting much worse very fast.

At the same time, cutting global emissions is going painfully slowly and we've already built up so much CO2 in the atmosphere that a lot of warming is already baked in. Meanwhile our government is making almost no signs that we are adapting to cope with the coming extreme weather. The overall inertia is quite staggering.

So is now the time for us to move towards geoengineering? By which I am mostly thinking of different ways of blocking solar radiation, as well as the less controversial goal of removing CO2 from the atmosphere.

On the one hand, it is a risky and mad idea but on the other hand we are definitely screwed anyway.

Thoughts?

Just…stop oil.

What makes you think "we" aren't aren't this @FloorWipes Geological Survey research themes?

As an aside, I work for a government body, and was working on a project to reduce
and absorb carbon in the region where I work until last week when we had to stop because no funding would be made available.

Sorry I'm not sure I understand your question and I couldn't get the link to work.

I'm sorry about your project funding.

@FloorWipes, your OP is concerned about the inertia of the UK government in adapting to climate change. I linked to a page of a government organisation (British Geological Society) showing their areas of research around adapting/reacting to climate change.

With regards the programme of works I was working on, the intention is out there, work is being done, but funding streams are difficult. Funding mechanisms need to be significantly changed in my organisation to make this work happen. Which means laws need to be changed. It's a very slow process.

TBH sadly it seems like literally finding some technological solution that can reverse/stop the damage is the only possible way out at this stage. Whether we can do that without fucking things up even worse is another matter.

It certainly ought to be looked into and if those dickheads with billions of dollars to burn might consider putting them into that rather that space rockets perhaps we'd get somewhere.

But when you talk about the slow process of changing laws to alter funding mechanisms, you are describing inertia, no?

Obviously I am aware that there are a vast number of projects, with a variety of sponsors, at a local, regional, national and international level who are working on various aspects climate mitigation

In the UK we aren't doing that well in relation to our targets, which in any case may not have been ambitious enough https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/58160547

I'm not denigrating the efforts being made by a lot of people. That doesn't change the fact that it's not enough though.

SRM (solar radiation management) is a bit of a last ditch option because it could cause some triggers to occur, too effective and we lose the value of PV and it could affect food production. Also who should pay? The most affected countries did not cause climate change and are often those who cannot afford to contribute.

it also raises the issues of does it not just encourage people to live status quo- because people will feel they don’t need to change their behaviours. A bit like plastic- most people are ok with plastic use because they ‘recycle’.

Such a bug bear of mine. The likes of Musk, Bezos, Zucherberg etc could probably actually buy the Amazon from Brazil with their combined funds, protect it forever, pay the farmers there to become tour guides, stewards, conservationists etc. What a legacy that would be, instead they are fuckin about with their little boy space rockets. It's unbearable tbh.

what's the best tree to plant to help clean the air?

One that lives forever. Because all that carbon they capture while they're growing gets released again when they decay.

Oak trees, they live for hundreds of years, dense canopy. Lots of shade producing leaves. Horse chestnuts are good too.

Join the Woodland Trust maybe? We've planted lots of trees that way, great if you don't have space. I think this is a really positive way for people to feel less hopeless as most of us could afford to plant the odd sapling.

Hemp captures carbon dioxide. It can be made into fibre to make clothing, or bedding. The root balls improve the soil, it has few pests or diseases, it can be fed and watered using treated sewage, and can be grown in our climate.

It certainly ought to be looked into and if those dickheads with billions of dollars to burn might consider putting them into that rather that space rockets perhaps we'd get somewhere.

Like electric cars?

I don't think Tesla is gonna save us.

Planting, or not cutting down, trees is nowhere near a good solution. It depends where the trees are. The positive effect of carbon sequestration by trees is offset by albedo - the reflection of solar radiation back into space - which cools the planet. Transpiration of trees releases water vapour into the atmosphere - which is a greenhouse gas in itself.

In Arctic or sub-arctic latitudes where snow lies for much of the year (Siberia, Northern Russia, Scandinavia, Canada) trees increase global warming by absorbing solar heat in comparison to a pristine snow field that would exist without the trees. In tropical and sub-tropical regions trees reduce global warming. Inbetween these latitudes (eg. UK) planting trees has a neutral effect on warming. We should be cutting down the northern forests and preserving and planting trees further south in tropical zones.

One other simple thing we could start to do is to put white panels, or even mirrors on flat roofs that don't have solar panels.

Another disturbing report

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-66304220

Start at home. peat bog does more for carbon capture than planting trees. Start restoring our peat bogs and absolutely ban peat extraction.

Agree with this. We know how to fix this. We just aren't doing it. The best thing we can do as individuals is vote for a party that will actually fucking DO something and make your money count, move to green energy companies and green banks and pensions.

@MereDintofPandiculation there are planning applications in around the UK to build houses on peat bogs, ffs...

What a great idea! Lets start fucking around with giant mirrors to reflect the sun even though we can't fully understand what impact that would have on crops and biodiversity (which is already crashing through the floor), so we can continue to drive 4x4s to the local shop for milk, buy shitloads of crap clothes from Shein each week (just send them back if they don't fit!) and cover our gardens with plastic grass with impunity.
Just like scientists creating robotic bees to pollinate crops because human activity is decimating pollinator populations, but it doesn't matter, we have robots!

Next up, a giant elastoplast to cover the hole in the ozone layer🙌

They've been geoengineering for years already haven't they?. Pretty sure they cloud seed at least they do in other countries. They even have what they do in full detail on the gov website.

Eating more mushrooms. This composts waste, absorbs masses of c02 and the spent mycelium is AMAZING for enriching spent soil ( the entire uk is suffering from this). More sustainable marine farming like growing oysters on lines and actually intensively farming sea weed. This is again brilliant at taking more c02 out of the atmosphere and can provide nutrients that aren't land based and they also help to clean the ocean.

More trees, trees everywhere! Free community allotment spaces for anybody that wants to get one. Get rid of monoculture like grass unless it's a designated sports field. Wildflower meadows as far as they eye can see, if it's not trees. Feed the bees instead of a giant industrial lawn mower.

A huge tax on take away food like maccies. AndUPF foods. Subsidised/price controlled locally produced fruit and veg. Put food cultivation back on the curriculum instead of gender bollox. Force complained that produce white goods to either fully recycle them or produce gods that could be repaired like in the old days when a fridge or washing machine lasted 20-30 years.

Increase prices on things were don't need. Like modern technology devices. Nobody NEEDS a new iPhone every year or two , and studies show less than 3% of people use every feature their phone offers. Offer free phone plans for customers that keep their phone after the "upgrade " con

You should take the time to watch kiss the ground. If we change the way we view our ground, and change our farming habits we can make massive, massive gains back from where we are now.

They do it in some places. The purposes of this practice are different. It is usually to do with crop management and pollution control as far as I know. This is weather modification rather than climate engineering.

But I suppose it's fair to say that there is a bit of a fine line in what we consider geoengineering and what we don't. It can be a bit arbitrary and relate to constructions around the definition of what is and isn't natural and what is and isn't part of the status quo.

Everyone is suggesting lots of well known ways to tackle climate change, generally via carbon management, which are often in use already or worth discussing if not, but I think you are all missing the point which is about timescales and tipping points. I'm not saying don't do those things. I'm saying we haven't done them in time.

Animal grazed pasture sequesters more CO2 than trees, and for longer, which is interesting.