Our War against climate: geo-engineering climate & weather

and the paradox of second best

Sandia Lab Program logo

A reversal of fortune or

NATURE strikes back !!

Kinds of climate modification

• Inadvertent• Advertent– “We are inadvertently changing the

climate, so why not advertently try to counterbalance it?” (Mike MacCracken)

• Quick or Creeping onset

Societal interactions with Climate(3 competing perspectives)

Society… dominates Climate is subordinate to Climate in harmony with climate

Climate change must be placed in context of other important stresses, e.g., land use changes & population growth.

Climate change may exacerbate or ameliorate existing stresses

Threats to subsistence livelihoods are already being exacerbated by multiple climate-related factors, e.g.,

reduced or displaced populations of marine mammals, seabirds and other wildlife

reduction and thinning of sea ice, making hunting more difficult and dangerous

Geo-Schemes proposed to stop Global Warming

• Carbon sequestration• Iron particles in the

ocean• Global scale tree planting• Go nuclear• Go renewable energy

www.lightwatcher.com/ chemtrails/smoking_gun.html

Health ImpactsWeather-related MortalityInfectious DiseasesAir Quality-Respiratory Illnesses

Agriculture ImpactsCrop yieldsIrrigation demands

Water Resource ImpactsChanges in water supplyWater qualityIncreased competition for water

Impacts on Coastal AreasErosion of beachesInundate coastal landsCosts to defend coastal communities

Forest ImpactsChange in forest compositionShift geographic range of forestsForest Health and Productivity

Species and Natural AreasShift in ecological zonesLoss of habitat and species

The systemic nature of climate change impactsis an added challenge

Climate Changes

Sea Level Rise

Temperature

Precipitation

Cultural Resources

Wildlife can only react

But humans can anticipate

We can plan ahead…. or we can react

Some thoughts about climate engineering

• Societies try to make marginal lands productive, while they degrade productive lands.

• Technology is neutral. How we use it determines whether it has positive or negative impacts.

• Societies need to move from an environmental ethic and modus operandi of dominance to that of harmony.

“Man believed he could dominate Nature and bend it to his will, but Nature is now turning against him and he finds himself caught in a trap.”

THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND SUPPORT…