SOLAR GEOENGINEERING

SOLAR GEOENGINEERING

TOPIC: Science & Tech

Context- Scientists are calling on political institutions to place limits on solar geoengineering research so that it cannot be deployed unilaterally by countries, companies or individuals.

Concept-

Solar Geoengineering:

• Geoengineering is also known as climate engineering.
• It is a conceptual method of reducing the negative effects of climate change by removing the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or by limiting the amount of sunlight reaching the planet’s surface.
• Solar geoengineering is a specific form of albedo modification in which highly reflective particles i.e. aerosols are introduced into the atmosphere to increase Earth’s albedo.
• This would reduce incoming light (radiation) from the sun, and thereby decrease the amount of energy (heat) reaching Earth’s surface.
• Solar Radiation Management and Ocean Iron Fertilization are forms of geoengineering or climate engineering.
• Solar geoengineering’s leading proposal of injecting billions of aerosol particles into the Earth’s stratosphere could have severe, unintended and unforeseen consequences.
  • The color of the sky could change.
  • The chemical composition of the ozone layer and oceans may be permanently altered.
  • Photosynthesis, which depends on sunlight, may slow down, possibly harming biodiversity and agriculture.
  • And global weather patterns could change unpredictably.