Cool Us or Kill Us? Did Geoengineering ALREADY Cause a Massive Famine?
PBS Terra・7 minutes read
A devastating famine in Africa in the 1980s may have been caused by efforts to cool the North Atlantic Ocean, leading to up to a million deaths. Solar geoengineering, releasing aerosols to reflect sunlight, is being considered to combat climate change, despite opposition from scientists due to uncertain unintended consequences and risks.
Insights
- The 1980s famine in Africa, possibly linked to cooling the North Atlantic Ocean, resulted in a million deaths, showcasing the severe consequences of climate interventions.
- Solar geoengineering, like Make Sunsets' aerosol deployment, is a controversial last-resort solution to climate change, with uncertain consequences such as weather pattern disruptions and geopolitical instability, raising ethical concerns and sparking intense debates among scientists and policymakers.
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Recent questions
What is solar geoengineering?
Solar geoengineering involves releasing aerosols into the atmosphere to reflect sunlight, potentially combating climate change.
What are the potential risks of geoengineering?
Geoengineering poses risks of war, health effects, climate disruption, and humanitarian crises.
What is the controversy surrounding Make Sunsets startup?
Make Sunsets, a startup deploying reflective clouds, has sparked controversy for its actions.
What were the impacts of the 1980s drought in the Sahel region?
The 1980s drought in the Sahel region highlighted uncertainties and risks associated with geoengineering.
Why do some scientists oppose solar geoengineering?
Some scientists oppose solar geoengineering due to uncertainties and unintended consequences.
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Summary
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Controversial Geoengineering: Risks and Uncertainties
- In the 1980s, a devastating famine in Africa, potentially caused by US and Europe's actions to cool the North Atlantic Ocean, resulted in up to a million deaths.
- Solar geoengineering, involving releasing aerosols into the atmosphere to reflect sunlight, is being considered as a last-ditch effort to combat climate change, despite significant opposition from hundreds of scientists.
- Aerosols cool the earth by reflecting sunlight and making clouds whiter, but their unintended consequences are uncertain, as seen in the short-lived cooling effect after Mount Pinatubo's eruption.
- Make Sunsets, a startup deploying reflective clouds using biodegradable balloons filled with sulfur dioxide, has sparked controversy and criticism for its actions.
- The potential impacts of geoengineering on weather patterns and political stability, as seen in the 1980s drought in the Sahel region, highlight the significant uncertainties and risks associated with this technology.
- Geoengineering poses risks of war, adverse health effects, climate system disruption, and humanitarian crises, while some view it as a potential solution to underestimated climate impacts, sparking a debate on its ethical and practical implications.
