The temblor that ravaged Japan early 2011 was devastating and almost slid the country backward from economic recovery after the global meltdown of 2008. Without a press conference or media post about their research or progress, Japanese scientists will be working rigorously on solutions for better prediction of temblors and if possible on ways to reduce quake energy while it lasts.
Drastic earthquake solutions can be compared to geoengineering procedures proposed to pillow effects of climate change. Earthquake is a global problem that turns possessions to debris in minutes; it may continue for years to come at active sites or may spread to new sites with growing population and pressure.
Temblors require out-of-the-box solutions because the name ‘natural disasters’ pitch it to the class of unsolvable. Climate change is not a problem in this world for now because if it is, geoengineering procedures suggested for ‘solutions’ will be adopted with eye on solution than consequence or whatever excuse.
There are several geoengineering suggestions proposed, if this was the case for earthquakes, it’s a yes and will already be in advanced stages of deployment in countries prone to it to avoid devastation of unusual magnitude. Curbing emission is the major solution to global warming but is getting harder to achieve because nations need to collectively agree in this times of cold divisions and straitened economy conditions.
Protraction in getting nations to agree may lead the earth to an irreversible climate tipping point where planet earth will be warm enough to upset the delicate climate balance leading to unforeseen, unexpected and shattering consequences. The UN COP17 conference is days away and should have been a perfect ground to have the agreement.
This is so unlikely that focus in some quarters is already shifting from having a deal to petty points like carbon credit, carbon trading and commitment of funds. As a matter of fact, the deal may only be likely if nations leave the blame-game or superfluous demands and understand the situation of things by approaching it from that end. This common ground for climate change solution is now appearing as one of the biggest impossibilities of the 21st century.
This continuum of arguments and disagreements in the face of clear reality leaps geoengineering forward as an alternative for climate change solution. Pockets of emission mitigation ongoing worldwide in cut and cap processes cannot match our emission outputs thus letting geoengineering have the microphone.
Who is keen on geoengineering the climate? Who does not understand how fragile the earth climate system is? but questions and issues laid by geoengineering make it seem like those pushing for geoengineering want something else aside saving the planet.
If we are already at the tipping point or it can be evidently proven now that certain weather deviations are for global warming, then geoengineering will go within a safe range and future weather deviations will not be described as a ‘consequence of geoengineering’.
“To get off a situation, don’t get in a situation” is an approach in life and business, but if the latter appears to be laxer than the former it can be adopted. Continuous emission to our atmosphere is not nice, if we don’t reduce them, we may be in a world at war with us.
A new report “Geoengineering for Decision Makers” submits back and forth knowledge on geoengineering science; it may stoke fears and mouth issues about geoengineering than support it but everyone knows that geoengineering either for the ozone layer (OLG) or by solar radiation management (SRM) may not be deployed in the near term.
Rigorous research on these is important and possible trials on a small scale to determine their extent for both repair & effect is also important. A scientist working on Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) a few decades back said “the probability of success is difficult to estimate, but if we never search the chances of success is zero”.