Geoengineering is a dangerous experiment

Hi friend,

Did you ever watch Pinky and the Brain, the cartoon about two lab mice trying to take over the world? They never succeed but they also never stop trying.

In every episode, Brain comes up with a meticulously crafted plan for world domination, which the naive and scatterbrained Pinky often doesn’t understand. But Pinky goes along with Brain’s mad scientist ideas because he’s always up for a good time even if he doesn’t know what he’s getting into and even if he’s the one that often derails everything with a cheerful “Narf!”

Are you pondering what I’m pondering?

It’s starting to feel like we’re living episodes of Pinky and the Brain in real life – only in this science experiment, we’re the lab rats.

In the latest episode, the mad scientist wants to play God with the climate, using geoengineering techniques to do crazy things like reflect the sun’s rays into space, spraying reflective particles into the air, and making clouds “brighter” to reflect light and heat back at the sun and blind it with its own power.

We’re literally playing with fire.

What is geoengineering?

Geoengineering refers to deliberate efforts to intervene in and influence the planet’s climate.

Basically, we’re trying to ‘fix climate change’ using solutions with potentially disastrous consequences.

Examples of small-scale geoengineering include reforestation to absorb carbon, or painting rooftops white to reflect sunlight.

But it’s the large-scale efforts that are concerning, like carbon capture and storage, which is not effective and very expensive.

And then there’s solar radiation management, which aims to reflect the sun's light and heat back into space to cool the Earth.

It’s the most controversial and dangerous of the lot:

• Stratospheric aerosol injection involves dispersing reflective particles (like sulfates) in the upper atmosphere.

• Cloud brightening involves spraying seawater into the atmosphere to increase the reflectivity of clouds.

• Space-based reflectors involves setting up mirrors in space to reflect sunlight away from Earth.

We don’t know enough about the potential impact of geoengineering, which could have unforeseen and unexpected negative impacts on the climate or ecosystems. One concern is that these impacts will be impossible to control and could spread beyond borders.

Another is the risk of “termination shock”. If we keep releasing emissions while using geoengineering and then suddenly stop, it could cause a major upset in the climate due to the built-up heat effect.

And yet despite the warnings, despite the consequences, they’ll test every shiny object and crazy idea while avoiding doing the one thing that’s actually possible, safe, and effective: reducing the amount of carbon we’re spewing into the atmosphere.

We have a solution. What we don’t seem to have is the Brain to do the right thing.

— Tarryn ✌️

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This week's climate and sustainability news worth noting

🚨 Earth is now "well outside of the safe operating space for humanity" due to human activity. The world has now crossed six of nine "planetary boundaries" – the safe limits for human life in areas such as the integrity of the biosphere, climate change, and the use and availability of fresh water. Eight of the nine boundaries are under more pressure than in the 2015 assessment, with only the ozone layer improving – raising the risk of dramatic changes in the Earth's living conditions.

🥵 July and August saw global temperatures breach the Paris Agreement target of 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. This is the first time the threshold has been passed for more than one month, and only the second time it has ever been exceeded.

⚡️ Group of 20 leaders agreed to triple renewable energy and “try” to increase funds for climate change-related disasters. They could not agree on phasing down fossil fuels.

👏 The UK’s Labour Party won’t be supporting the government’s plans to scrap the ‘nutrient neutrality’ law that would allow house-builders to pollute some of England’s most sensitive waterways. Previously, the party had indicated support for the move.

🇺🇸 The US has already set a record for the most natural disasters in a single year – with over three months left to go. There have already been 23 extreme weather events in the US this year that have cost at least US$1 billion. That’s more than the record of 22 events set in 2020. So far, the total cost of disasters in 2023 is more than US$57.6 billion.

🎉 Following years of pressure from student activists, New York University plans to divest from fossil fuels. The university is one of the largest private universities in the US, with over US$5 billion in endowments.

👩🏻‍🔬 A panel of global experts has urged governments to place a moratorium on efforts to geoengineer the planet’s climate, warning of the danger of unintended consequences. There is no global agreement on geoengineering, and no rules on what countries, or businesses, can do.

⏳ Between 4 and 8 billion tons of sand and other sediments are extracted from the marine environment each year, threatening biodiversity and coastal communities. The UN warned that the scale of dredging is growing at a rate well beyond the rate at which it is being replenished from rivers. Dredging – especially at the present rate (equivalent to about one million lorries a day) – disturbs marine sediments and releases human-sourced toxins that pollute seawater.

🇨🇴 Colombia, the third largest oil producer in Latin America, has joined the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance, which aims to set an end date for new oil and gas licensing, while also setting out plans to phase out existing capacity.

📢 Climate protesters are taking to the streets in more than 50 countries this weekend, to demand that governments phase out fossil fuels. Over a million protesters have planned more than 500 gatherings in 54 countries – from Pakistan and Nigeria to the US.

❌ A panel has rejected an expert recommendation that Venice be included on UNESCO’s list of “World Heritage in Danger”.

⚡️ Scientists at the University of Colorado have developed a better way to make green hydrogen and syngas using solar energy.

🌀 Wild weather:

• 🌊 In Libya, a massive flood killed over 11,000 people. Over 10,000 are still missing and 30,000 lost their homes.

• 🌧️ Hong Kong recorded the highest hourly rainfall since records began in 1884. Widespread flooding prompted the city’s weather bureau to issue the highest “black” rainstorm warning.

• ⛈️ In China, relentless rain has caused more than 100 landslides, trapped about 1,360 residents in floodwaters and killed at least seven people.

And in business news

❌ None of the world’s largest 25 oil and gas firms have climate plans aligned with the Paris Agreement, despite many claiming to do so. Carbon Tracker analysis found that Saudi Arabian state-owned firm Aramco had the weakest plan of the lot. Only one company, Italy’s Eni, has climate plans that are ‘potentially’ compatible with the Paris Agreement.

❌ More than 90% of corporate-led restoration projects fail to report a single ecological outcome. Around 80% of projects don’t reveal how much was invested in restoration, and a third don’t even mention the area of habitat that they aim to restore. These were some of the findings from a study of 100 sustainability reports from the world’s largest companies.

👏 California passed a landmark bill that would require major companies to publicly disclose their greenhouse gas emissions. If enacted, companies that make more than US$1 billion annually must report the amount of greenhouse gas pollution that is directly emitted by their operations, and also indirect emissions from things like employee travel, waste disposal, and supply chains.

🥤 Coca-Cola’s bottling company is researching how captured carbon can be reused to make plastic packaging. Researchers from Swansea University are trying to produce ethylene (a component of bottle caps) using captured carbon. The process will use no fossil fuels, instead relying on electrochemical processes.

🥉 Ikea, Unilever, and Apple have been named among the “best in class” corporates that are improving practices around advocating and lobbying for bold climate action aligned with science.

📦 Amazon has launched a ‘Sustainability Solutions Hub’ to help sellers reduce packaging and certify products through sustainability schemes. The company has also made its first investment in direct air capture (DAC) technology, with a commitment to purchase removal credits for 250,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent over a 10-year period.

💸 Microsoft has signed a US$200 million deal with Heirloom Carbon to buy carbon dioxide removal credits over 10 years. Heirloom uses a process involving heat and crushing limestone rocks to remove carbon from the atmosphere.

One small thing you can do

Buy ugly fruit and veg.

In Australia, nearly a quarter of fresh fruit and veg is tossed because it doesn’t look perfect.

It still tastes the same. It has the same quality nutrients. It just doesn’t pass society’s beauty standards.

But if you’re going to chop it up and chuck it in a soup, do you really care what it looks like?

When you can, buy imperfect fruit and veg. You’ll not only pay less and help to reduce food waste, but you’ll also help farmers sell more of their produce.

Because lots of little actions combined can add up to something remarkable.

I'll leave you on this happy note...

Handfuls of screaming baby goats 🐐

kimrain_49

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