It is generally accepted within the scientific community that anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases are primarily responsible for a recent warming in global climate and that current trajectories of emissions may lead to potentially catastrophic changes in climate. While reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases, and particularly carbon dioxide, could lead to a stabilisation of global temperatures, this requires international agreements which have yet to be achieved. A possible alternative, which has been widely mooted is to use methods known as geoengineering as an alternative way of limiting increases in global temperature. Geoengineering techniques fall into two main categories of carbon dioxide removal and solar radiation management; within each of these there are a number of options.

Following on from "Carbon Capture" (volume 29 in this series), Geoengineering of the Climate System presents an overview of the technologies currently being considered as large scale solutions to climate change, and considers some of the possible benefits and disadvantages of each. Invited contributions have been received by many of the leading experts on these technologies, and the volume provides a comprehensive overview of both carbon dioxide reduction and solar radiation management methods. These give rise to important ethical and governance issues which are also explored.

Written with active researchers, postgraduate students and policy-makers in mind, the latest addition to the Issues in Environmental Science & Technology series presents a balanced and informed view of this important field of research and is an essential addition to any environmental science library.

Roy Harrison OBE is Queen Elizabeth II Birmingham Centenary Professor of Environmental Health at the University of Birmingham. In 2004 he was appointed OBE for services to environmental science. Professor Harrison’s research interests lie in the field of environment and human health. His main specialism is in air pollution, from emissions through atmospheric chemical and physical transformations to exposure and effects on human health. Much of this work is designed to inform the development of policy.

Ron Hester is an emeritus professor of chemistry at the University of York. In addition to his research work on a wide range of applications of vibrational spectroscopy, he has been actively involved in environmental chemistry and was a founder member of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Environment Group. His current activities are mainly as an editor and as an external examiner and assessor on courses, individual promotions, and departmental/subject area evaluations both in the UK and abroad.

Geoengineering of the Climate System

Issues in Environmental Science and Technology

By R.E. Hester, R.M. Harrison

The Royal Society of Chemistry

Copyright © 2014 The Royal Society of Chemistry
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-84973-953-5

Contents

Editors,
List of Contributors,
Why do we need Solutions to Global Warming? John E. Thornes and Francis D. Pope,
Storing Carbon for Geologically Long Timescales to Engineer Climate R. Stuart Haszeldine and Vivian Scott,
The Global Potential for Carbon Dioxide Removal Timothy M. Lenton,
The Use of Artificial Trees Klaus S. Lackner,
Cooling the Earth with Crops Taraka Davies-Barnard,
Engineering Ideas for Brighter Clouds Stephen H. Salter, Thomas Stevenson and Andreas Tsiamis,
Stratospheric Aerosol Geoengineering Alan Robock,
Space-Based Geoengineering Solutions Colin R. McInnes, Russell Bewick and Joan Pau Sanchez,
Solar Radiation Management and the Governance of Hubris Richard Owen,
Subject Index,

CHAPTER 1

Why do we need Solutions to Global Warming?

JOHN E. THORNES AND FRANCIS D. POPE

ABSTRACT

The atmosphere is the most valuable resource on the planet and as such every effort needs to be made to protect and manage it. Unfortunately the rise in greenhouse gases since the industrial revolution, and the intimately linked change in climate, is proving to be a most difficult environmental problem. Even though the strongest scientific evidence tells us that the anthropogenic release of greenhouse gases is responsible for climate change, there has been little success in emissions reduction. The reasons behind this failure are complex but the outcome is not; the regions of the Earth inhabited by humans are on average getting hotter and extreme weather is becoming more frequent. Since mitigation efforts against climate change are failing, the arguments for the possibility of geoengineering become louder. Geoengineering is a contentious issue which evokes strong reactions within all levels of society. Solar Radiation Management (SRM) technologies are more controversial than Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) technologies, since they do not solve the root cause of the problem, they do, however, potentially offer a more rapidly deployed solution. At present no geoengineering technology is fit for purpose or ready for deployment. However, geoengineering research is rapidly increasing with hundreds if not thousands of scientists and engineers working on the topic worldwide. As such, geoengineering research has now likely passed through its infancy, and conclusions are being reached about the efficacy, benefits and disadvantages of the different proposals. It seems increasingly likely that geoengineering technologies could be developed that will reduce climate change. These benefits need to be carefully weighed against the negative aspects. A true assessment of geoengineering cannot be achieved until we better understand the environmental, technological, economic and governance issues associated through its use.

On May 9, 2013 the daily mean concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide levels passed 400 ppm at Mauna Loa according to independent measurements taken by both the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. NOAA had announced last year that its global cooperative air sampling network had detected 400 ppm for the first time over all its Arctic sites, just a prelude to what is now being detected over Mauna Loa. According to NOAA, locations throughout the Southern Hemisphere will follow over the next f