The climate-change experiment

Climate-change experts are researching ways to cool down the planet using geoengineering. How could spraying chemicals into the stratosphere help counteract global warming?

What if you discovered a way to cool down the planet? Extreme weather events are becoming more common and more ferocious. As the surface temperature of earth continues to rise, so too will the ferocity of natural disasters.

In 2018 scientists will take bold steps to explore a technology that could reverse the effects of climate-change. They’re looking at ways to reflect sunlight back into space and cool down the planet.

Insurers say the number of weather-related disasters has quadrupled since 1970. While world leaders are debating and disputing climate-change and the ways in which humans alter their behaviour on earth, some scientists discuss changes to the earth itself.

In 2018, they’ll take to the stratosphere to learn what it might take – or cost – to cool the planet directly. Geoengineering is the pioneering science that could well be on everyone’s lips in 2018.

The team from Harvard University is the first in the world to test the effects solar geoengineering might have in the stratosphere.

The experiments in 2018 won’t impact the climate, but if one day implemented, this controversial intervention could help curb extreme weather events.

Solar geoengineering has the potential to save lives, but it also poses unknown risks. And there are fears that merely researching geoengineering might be detrimental to the long-term fight against climate-change.

Some environmentalists say that the drive to reduce carbon dioxide emissions could be lost if there’s seen to be a quick fix.

And deciding who controls a technology that affects everyone on the planet won’t be easy. Ultimately solar geoengineering could prove a risk not worth taking. But ignoring it now could be even more dangerous.

Daily Watch: mind-stretching short films throughout the working week.

[tigerjonn]

If only trees gave out Wi-Fi signals, then we might plant enough trees to save the Earth.
Too bad trees only produce the oxygen we need to live.

[alfredoldr]

So the solution to pollution is ...more pollution? The Economist is just complicit in the SPIN needed to pave the way: presenting the threat as a collection of facts about the emerging (and very well funded) folly, and relegating the alarming new possibilities of destruction to polite questions in a footnote.

[brokkdagaz]

How is dispersing toxic aluminum into everything going to help anything

[tellingfoxtales]

Planting trees would take a fraction of the money and would be more effective.

[lookuphope]

It's a no brainer that any imbalance put intentionally on the planet by human geoengineering will have a detrimental effect!

[anne-marieh]

Ridiculously, they present it as if it’s something they’re considering doing. They’ve been doing it for years… And unilaterally decided to do so. No concepts or consideration about.
McCratic undertaking in the decision making of this. These people are scandalous to say the least.

[tadblackington]

This is unworkable. Blocking sunlight would negatively impact photosynthesis. Not only would this cause big problems with ecosystems and agriculture, it would defeat the goal of this endeavor by reducing the uptake of carbon dioxide by the biosphere. It would also accelerate the decline of oxygen in the atmosphere.

[neyfry]

Instead of fixing the problem from its cause, they are keeping the problem but making it a longer process

[sarahroberts]

this has been going on for 20 years... your car is not why the climate is so whacky, its because theyve been already doing this!

[williamfrownfelteriii]

So 300 engineering projects in 2012. 1700 in 2022. You’re telling me it couldn’t possibly be that we are geoengineering the weather to be worse and have gnarlier “random” events?

[dannyboythelastman]

at 2:23 you can see the true geoengeneering already going on in our skies. so ironic and stupid this video

[parkseunghee]

Okay, one question: if these stuff are considerably large, how are we gonna launch rockets? They're essentially "useful" space debris. Or if they're opting for nano-sized particles, how are they gonna make sure that we won't breathe that stuff in?

Captains?

[ANTINATALIST_lewis]

These explains what is happening right now now around the world.

[meganford]

Stopping endless war would be the cheapest and most effective method.
Not to mention how many human and animal lives it would save.

[spiritdawound]

2:19 Why do they need to conduct experiments when planes are already doing it daily ? Even on their launchpad presented into THAT video the sky is ploxed. I've been sailing, then watching the sky all my life, and there wasn't all this massive shit in the sky until those last 12 years.

[ScorpionXII]

Geoengineering should be the clean up effort after we stop burning fossil fuels. It's like a sinking boat, yes you need to get the water out, but the first logical step is to stop water from getting in first.

[valsarff]

They are attempting to cool a cooling planet. The extremely chaotic weather we are presently experiencing is a result of Geoengineering the Weather under the politically correct and unscientific foolishness of global warming. This planet was never on a long term warming trend! Solar particle forcing controls the climate, and the sun has been entering a less active phase. Geoengineering is cooling an already cooling planet!! IT MUST STOP NOW!!

[mrubuntuking]

"Yay, technology *will* automagically save us, we don't have to do shit, roll some coal yeehaw!" is absolutely not the message that should be taken from this video. It's not like climate change is the only manmade ecological threat, and it's already done plenty of damage that needs to be reversed regardless. The video itself says as much.Though, I expect just about everyone else in this comment section will anyway.

[psikeyhackr]

This is a very funny video from The Economist. Economists give us the gift of ignorance about the Depreciation of Durable Consumer Goods. When have you heard an economist suggest mandatory accounting in high school?

[Impetuss]

This is like putting bandaids on someone who self harms