Have you ever taken a second to look around at the world, and really noticed what is happening to our world? It’s dying. And for years, all that people have been saying is that the best thing we can do now is stop pollution, but that there’s no way to undo the damage that has been done, but Harvard has found geoengineering. And now, there just might be hope.
WHAT is geoengineering? Geoengineering is a very broad topic, it is the study of how to limit climate change. There are a plethora of techniques to limit climate change that falls under this category. One that I have chosen to focus on is the aerosol that scientists have discovered that cools the global temperature.
WHO invented geoengineering? Geoengineering was pioneered by Ken Caldeira, an atmospheric scientist. He was born in 1960 and graduated from New York University. As of now, Harvard is conducting an on-going study to find out how we can use this technology as efficiently as possible.
WHEN will it be used? The way that solar geoengineering can be used most productively is over time, in small doses. But we’ll need to act sooner than later to prevent further damage.
WHERE is it being developed? As of right now, the main study is being conducted at the Harvard University Center for the Environment, located fairly local, in Cambridge Massachusetts.
WHY is this innovation important to the global community? There is a great need for this innovation because it goes greater than just our country, the problem that is global warming addresses the whole world. And it is progressively getting worse as the days go on, and will continue to do so unless a fast-acting and truly beneficial solution.
Ending Global warming seems like almost a no brainer, we all know it's not good, yet none of us are doing anything to stop it. So why was it any different for Caldeira?
Ken Caldeira chose to invent this because he saw a problem that is global warming and sought a solution. There is no additional evidence as to why he did it, so the conclusion I have come to is that he was a very driven, and intelligent individual who was more motivated than others. I believe It was pioneered in the US because we are the greatest polluters of the planet right now. And he saw the issues all surrounding him in everyday life, causing him to open his eyes wider than someone in a different place. According to ProQuest, "This study takes a big step towards using climate variables most relevant for human impacts and finds that no IPCC-defined region is made worse off in any of the major climate impact indicators. Big uncertainties remain, but climate models suggest that geoengineering could enable surprisingly uniform benefits." What this quote helps to prove is that while there is an obvious benefit to this, there can also be a consequence. These aerosols are bound to change the environment but it's how we use them the defines whether it's a positive or a negative impact. Also according to ProQuest, “Researchers looked at temperature and precipitation extremes, water availability, and a measure of the intensity of tropical storms. They found that halving warming with solar geoengineering not only cools the planet everywhere but also moderates changes in water availability and extreme precipitation in many places and offsets more than 85 percent of the increase in the intensity of hurricanes.” This evidence is fairly self-explanatory, but it helps me to prove that this innovation is needed very much so because it shows that it's not only global warming, because of how global warming butterfly effects so many other things, like hurricanes, and habitat destruction.
Global warming is just as it sounds, a global issue that affects everyone and everything. According to Britannica, “Many climate scientists agree that significant societal, economic, and ecological damage would result if global average temperatures rose by more than 2 °C (3.6 °F) in such a short time.” This quote is important because it states that if global warming is not stopped soon, and we allow the global temperature to rise by more than 2°C, things will become very bad. Also according to Britannica, “Such damage would include increased extinction of many plant and animal species, shifts in patterns of agriculture, and rising sea levels.” This quote is significant as well because it related to another one of the quotes I chose. This quote specifies the problems that global warming will cause to the world.
Now don't get me wrong, this invention could either change things for the better, quickly, or, if used improperly, this could end up even further destroying and polluting our world. But I think that this innovation will have an immensely positive impact on the world because when the aerosol is placed in the right hands, it is proven to cool the air. According to Anthony Cubberston of Newsweek, “Researchers from Harvard's John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) identified an aerosol suitable for something called solar geoengineering: a radical method of cooling the planet.” In this quote, they describe the innovation as "radical" this is an interesting word choice but still helps to show how much this invention is needed. Also according to Anthony Cubberston of Newsweek, “The cooling effects of solar geoengineering have previously been observed following volcanic eruptions; however, the planet cooling effects of the sulfate aerosols emitted in the eruptions also produce sulfuric acid that is damaging to the ozone.” This quote is using a specific example from previous experiments and proves that these aerosols can and have made a beneficial difference in the temperatures after an event that warms the air.
I think that this innovation is much like the innovation of the Renaissance that was the Printing Press. Although these two innovations perform two completely different tasks, they both are perfect examples of how to better humanity all around. For example, the printing press helped information to spread faster across the globe, sometimes even vital information that people would need to know for survival. And the solar geoengineering aerosol can improve the air that we breathe every day, also helping us all to have the happiest, healthiest, and safest environment possible.
WORKS CITED:
Science, Carnegie. “Ken Caldeira.” Carnegie Institution for Science, 10 Aug. 2015, carnegiescience.edu/scientist/ken-caldeira.
Writers, Staff. "Finding the Right 'Dose' for Solar Geoengineering." UPI Space Daily, 14 Mar 2019. elibrary, https://explore.proquest.com/elibrary/document/2190937647?accountid=25107.
Many climate scientists agree that significant societal, economic, and ecological damage would result if global average temperatures rose by more than 2 °C (3.6 °F) in such a short time.”Also according to Britannica, “Such damage would include increased extinction of many plant and animal species, shifts in patterns of agriculture, and rising sea levels.” Why is this quote important to the blog? How does this add to your point?
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DeleteHey Paige! Thank you for this feedback! After you said this, I realized that I didn't have much explanation to support any of my quotes at all, I went back and added more of my opinion to my my explanation to hopefully elaborate clearer on how they add to my point!
DeleteYour blog is very informative and very interesting! Throughout your whole blog you talk about the innovation of the aerosol scattering. I think a way you could make this blog even better than it is would be by giving specific examples of the use of aerosols.
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DeleteHi Ana, thank you for this feedback, if I went more in depth about what aerosols are, and how these specific ones are used, would that provide an answer to your question?
DeleteYes, I think that would be beneficial for your blog!
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