Climate policymakers and assessments must get serious about climate engineering
Edward A Parson
Published: August 2017
Keywords: climate, policy, engineering
Abstract: Climate engineering (CE)—the intentional, global-scale modification of the environment to help offset the effects of elevated greenhouse gases—appears able to reduce climate-change risks beyond what’s possible with mitigation and adaptation alone. Furthermore, the large-scale use of CE is probably essential for achieving prudent climate-change limits, including the Paris target of limiting the average global temperature rise to 1.5–2.0 °C. This conclusion appears unavoidable based on the current level of global greenhouse-gas emissions and the long time-constants of the climate system and the human energy system (e.g., the long atmospheric lifetime of carbon dioxide and the time required for large-scale deployment of new technologies). CE may also enable integrated climate-response strategies that reduce risks in ways not otherwise achievable.
Disciplines: Environment, Science and Technology
Publication: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2017/08/14/1713456114.extract?sid=42de1efc-814e-4327-bd9e-0312b5481cbc
