Some experts warn that conventional methods like using renewable resources or reducing emissions may not be sufficient to reverse the damage of climate change quickly, making climate engineering seem like the last resort. It is considered as the ‘emergency break’ if the temperature continues to arise at an alarming level. However, such measures come with its drawbacks. Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is slow, expensive and cannot remove CO2 entirely from the environment due to it being present in such large amounts. When it comes to solar radiation modification (SRM), global monsoons and precipitation can be altered, potentially devastating agriculture in regions like South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
So is climate engineering a hope or a nightmare? The answer is both. Geoengineering provide two distinct paths. While, CDR despite being expensive and slow, provides real hope of reversing the environmental damage to a certain extent, solar engineering can easily lead to a global disaster.
Umamah Kashif
Karachi
