Geoengineering? Don't tell anyone...
ABC TV has had an interactive program/game (aka 'Alternative Reality' show) running on its website called 'Bluebird'. I tried to get into it but couldn't struggle past the first few minutes of it. It's an interactive experience that you can watch, or join and 'play' in the game.
But I was intrigued hearing about it from Natasha Mitchell, host of ABC Radio National's excellent 'All In the Mind' program, and Robyn Williams, host of another excellent ABC RN show, 'The Science Show', spoke about 'Bluebird' and Geoengineering in his May 15th show.
The concept of geoengineering is to control global warming and the results of human-induced climate change by injecting certain chemicals or compounds into the earth's atmosphere, which would shield some of the heating effects of the sun.
In light of the failure by governments around the world to come to any agreement on anything that addresses climate change then actions by individual countries, or even corporations, could become the next line of defense; one or more could take unilateral climate change remediation actions 'in the best interests...'
In the recent Science Show the scary observation was made that if geoengineering takes place it will almost certainly be done without the knowledge of us, the citizens who will experience its results. Because if geoengineering efforts were announced before enacting them, and afterwards somewhere in the world something went wrong like crop failures, floods, storms or other devastating events, then people would want to sue the pants off the people or governments who did the geoengineering.
Some scientists say that geoengineering could be done with few risks. It could be catastrophic if it was done and there was just a tiny, itty bitty, little miscalculation that made it all go wrong. I love scientists and I love science. But who goofed on something like the introduction of cane toads into Australia to cure a beetle problem. That little project didn't turn-out very well, did it?
Isn't it a bloody shame that our developed societies are so ham-strung by self-interest that any coordinated action by nations in addressing climate change seems doomed.
But I was intrigued hearing about it from Natasha Mitchell, host of ABC Radio National's excellent 'All In the Mind' program, and Robyn Williams, host of another excellent ABC RN show, 'The Science Show', spoke about 'Bluebird' and Geoengineering in his May 15th show.
The concept of geoengineering is to control global warming and the results of human-induced climate change by injecting certain chemicals or compounds into the earth's atmosphere, which would shield some of the heating effects of the sun.
In light of the failure by governments around the world to come to any agreement on anything that addresses climate change then actions by individual countries, or even corporations, could become the next line of defense; one or more could take unilateral climate change remediation actions 'in the best interests...'
In the recent Science Show the scary observation was made that if geoengineering takes place it will almost certainly be done without the knowledge of us, the citizens who will experience its results. Because if geoengineering efforts were announced before enacting them, and afterwards somewhere in the world something went wrong like crop failures, floods, storms or other devastating events, then people would want to sue the pants off the people or governments who did the geoengineering.
Some scientists say that geoengineering could be done with few risks. It could be catastrophic if it was done and there was just a tiny, itty bitty, little miscalculation that made it all go wrong. I love scientists and I love science. But who goofed on something like the introduction of cane toads into Australia to cure a beetle problem. That little project didn't turn-out very well, did it?
Isn't it a bloody shame that our developed societies are so ham-strung by self-interest that any coordinated action by nations in addressing climate change seems doomed.
posted by Rick's Rambles at 9:58 pm
1 Comments:
Last Wednesday we attended a talk at Adelaide's RiAus about Geoengineering where tech reporter and author Jeff Goodell and ABC TV Director of Innovation Sam Doust gave presentations about 'How to cool the planet - geoengineering and the audacious quest to fix the earth's climate.'
Goodell's book 'How to cool the planet' was on sale at the event.
Doust was in the ABC team that developed the 'Alternative Reality' TV program/interactive game called 'Bluebird' where a cashed-up individual with a huge moral conscience takes individual action to save the planet from the consequences of climate change. But drama develops when the geoengineering plan is interrupted by a whistle-blower in the organisation. I confess that I didn't watch 'Bluebird' but would like to someday.
Goodell said that schemes based on carbon capture are expensive and he doesn't see them as being mainstream solutions to our dependence on coal. The two main options with Geoengineering that he discussed are to suck the carbon out of the atmosphere, and to reflect sunlight away from the earth. Apparently the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has contributed funds to explore the latter idea.
Doust showed excerpts from 'Bluebird' and talked about the work he and his team have done at ABC TV. Very cool stuff!
Following the ABC Radio National 'Science Show' podcast that I refer to in the main article above, I asked Goodell and Doust at the end of the session if they agreed that it would be nearly impossible for governments or organisations to announce in advance that they were about to undertake geoengineering, due to the threat of litigation against them if something went wrong that might remotely be linked to the geoengineering efforts, so as a result major geoengineering implementation would be done in secret. Goodell disagreed, and said that activities to inject particles into the stratosphere would be significant, and highly detectable as it would involve multiple planes over many months.
But I wonder... Say, for example, could a country the size of China 'hide' flights like this from the rest of the world?
I bought a copy of Goodell's book and look forward to reading it. Well done Jeff and Sam for such an informative and enjoyable session.
And the RiAus is a wonderful, comfortable and engaging venue to hear about science topics.
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