intro to geoengineering (What it is, what it involves, relationship with global warming, why it is considered a climate change solution)

Geoengineering Its a word that means many different things to different people. The common is known that geoengineering is divided into two major facts. 1.Reduce the amount of climate change produced by the greenhouse gasses that increases. (CO2, methane and nitrogen oxide) 2.Remove the greenhouse gasses have been released into the atmosphere It invovles Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) and Solar Radiation Management (SRM)

Geoenginering involves CO2 removal (CDR) Cleaning atmosphere by removing CO2 from it. HOW? platning trees (sucks CO2) developing technologies to capture and store CO2 emissions by power plants ocean iron fertilization- adding iron to ocean water to increase phytoplankton plants afforestation biochar Advantages low risk more direct approach in trying to solve global warming Disadvantage Not fast enough if the goal is to reduce global temperature

Solor Radiation Management (SRM) Focus: reflecting 1%-2% of sunlight back to space How? 1.stratospheric sulfur loading-to immitate a volcanic eruption's cooling effect on the atmosphere 2.tropicl cloud brightening-using salt particles injected into the tropophere so clouds can reflect more sunlight back to space 3.reflectiv aeosols 4.cloud seeding 5.cloud albedo approaches 6.ocean sulfer cycle enhancement 7.reflective balloons 8.space mirrors 9.dispersive solutions-using lens in space to scatter sunlight before it reaches the Earth

Effects Disadvantage 1.may affect Asain monsoons 2.may cause other environment problems 3. take away foucs from causes of Global Warming Advantage can potentially lower global temperatures quickly can be more effective than CDR in a crisis situation Ex in the Philippines, Mount Pinatubo erupted, sending huge Reflected two percent of sunlight, Earth cooled by half a degree Celsius. Three percent reduction in the ozone atmosphere. Europe were affected.

Relationship with Global Warming Solar Radiation Management (SRM) techniques can possibly counteract global warming because less amount of sunlight can hit the earth. Greenhouse gases trap the infrared radiation and emit it back to earth in all directions. The natural greenhouse effect keeps the Earth's temperature to about 57 ゜ F. The concern is the incresin amount of green house gases, especially CO2, as a result of human activities involving combustion of fossil fuels, coals, and gas. This enhanced greenhouse effect is causing the average temperture of the Earth to rise- this is called the Global warming. So geoeng. can reduce greenhouse gases can help reduce global warming

Why Consider as a Climate Change Solution? Focused on either CO2 removal or SRM. These are both aime at reducing global warming which is a term used for the increase in the average temperature of the earth and the oceans. Global warming can result in rise of sea levels due to melting polar ice an also to more severe storms and weather occurences. This is why geoengineering is consired a climate change solution.