Brightening up to fight climate change

Subject: Geography

Section: Climatology

Marine Cloud Brightening (MCB) Program:

The Marine Cloud Brightening (MCB) program at the University of Washington explores an innovative geoengineering strategy to combat global warming by enhancing the reflectivity of marine clouds.
Method:
- This method involves spraying tiny particles of sea salt into the clouds to increase their density and ability to reflect sunlight.
While this approach builds on older concepts like cloud seeding and aerosol-based sunlight reflection, MCB’s use of sea salt is distinct.
However, the effectiveness of this technique, including the extent of brightness and potential climate cooling, remains uncertain.

Challenges and Risks Associated with Marine Cloud Brightening (MCB):

Technical Feasibility: MCB requires large-scale spraying of seawater into high altitudes, posing challenges in the design, cost, maintenance, and operation of the necessary equipment.
Environmental Impacts: Potential alterations in cloud patterns and precipitation could disrupt regional climates and water cycles, possibly causing adverse effects such as droughts or floods.
Ethical Issues: There are ethical concerns about human intervention in natural systems and the appropriate governance and decision-making processes for implementing such technologies.
Moral Hazard: There is a risk that MCB could foster complacency among policymakers and the public, possibly detracting from efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and pursue necessary adaptations to climate change.

Source: TH BL