KARACHI:
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. Carbondioxide removal (CDR) is slow and expensive and can’t remove the CO2 entirely from the environment due to the gas being in such large amounts. In solar radiation modification (SRM), the global monsoons and precipitation can be altered, potentially devastating agricultures in regions like South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. CO2 still remains in the air, acidifying oceans. Moreover, if the spraying is stopped, the temperatures will snap back within 1-2 decades and the CO2 levels would be even higher at that point.
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 turning it into a worst nightmare.
Umamah Kashif
Karachi
