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SCIENCETuesday 8 December 2015

An unspoken option if climate talks fail: Geoengineering

A woman takes a picture of a globe at the COP21, the United Nations Climate Change rary but pronounced cool- some point in the future,
ing after the 1991 erup- drastic options will look
Conference Monday, Dec. 7, 2015 in Le Bourget, north of Paris. The Paris conference is the 21st tion of Mount Pinatubo in more palatable. He thinks
the Philippines. What’s in scientists need to prepare
time world governments are meeting to seek a joint solution to climate change. The talks are mind would be, essentially, now.
an artificial and constant “I think of it as kind of symp-
focused on reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, primarily by man-made volcano with tomatic relief,” Caldeira
material released by air- said in an interview on the
shifting from oil, coal and gas to cleaner sources of energy. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) craft or cannons. sidelines of the U.N.-led
No one is talking about do- Paris talks. “I’m thinking like
SETH BORENSTEIN entist? Should nations pur- warming that’s happen- ing it — yet. But some sci- morphine for the cancer
AP Science Writer posely pollute the planet ing now. The most talked entists want to study it to patient.”
PARIS (AP) — It’s the option to try to counteract man- about and advanced find about side effects and But others inside the nego-
climate negotiators here made warming and cool method involves putting other issues. And earlier tiations shudder at even
are loath to talk about. the world? Scientists are heat-reflecting particles this year, the U.S. National talking about the issue.
What if they fail to curb pretty sure they can do it, high in the air, but there Academy of Sciences said “The emissions and the cli-
global warming and the but should they? also have been proposals small-scale and controlled mate change that we’re
environment gets so dan- The issue is called geoengi- to seed clouds other ways, experiments could be causing with that is already
gerous that someone de- neering — purposely tinker- put mirrors in space and helpful to inform future de- a massive experiment on
cides to do something ing with the planet as op- seed the oceans with iron. cisions. our world that we don’t re-
drastic and play mad sci- posed to the unintentional Scientists noticed a tempo- Even geoengineering’s ally know the outcome of,”
most ardent research sup- said U.N. Assistant Secre-
porters aren’t proposing tary-General Janos Pasztor.
it instead of cutting back “So I don’t think we should
heat-trapping emissions start another set of experi-
from burning fossil fuels. But ments and go into geoen-
they say someday it may gineering. I think we should
be needed. However, it get our act together and
doesn’t solve all climate reduce our emissions.”
change problems, just the Joe Ware, a spokesman
temperature part. for the faith group Christian
Stanford University climate Aid, was even more blunt.
scientist Ken Caldeira “It’s probably playing God
isn’t advocating seeding a bit too much for the faith
clouds with sulfur particles community,” Ware said
any time soon, but he does Friday. He said the world
fear a failure in climate needs more wind farms
talks and believes that at and solar power instead.
Harvard scientist David
Australia to invest $800M in boosting innovation Keith has been working
on plans to test what he
ROD McGUIRK ing the study of science, doctorate and masters encouraging entrepre- calls solar geoengineer-
Associated Press mathematics and comput- qualifications in science, neurship and protecting ing in the atmosphere at a
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) ing in schools. technology, engineering creditors. very small scale. Year one
— Australia’s government It is Turnbull’s first major eco- or mathematics would be The government plans to would involve balloons put-
announced new econom- nomic policy announce- assisted to become per- introduce new laws that ting small amounts of sul-
ic policies Monday aimed ment since he ousted Tony manent residents of Aus- would enable companies fate in the air and tracking
at attracting entrepreneurs Abbott as prime minister in tralia. to access crowd-sourced changes and side effects.
from abroad and promot- a surprise September ballot The government would equity funding to develop Although he has received
ing innovation in an econ- of ruling party lawmakers. also reform solvency laws. innovative business plans. interest from private indi-
omy that has slowed after The government will intro- The current penalty period Early stage investors in viduals, he has been un-
a mining boom. duce a new class of visa for bankrupts would be re- startups would be provid- able to get the federal
Prime Minister Malcolm for entrepreneurs with in- duced from three years to ed with tax concessions. government to pay atten-
Turnbull said his govern- novative ideas and finan- one year. Company direc- It said wants to encour- tion, he said. “You can’t
ment will invest 1.1 billion cial backing to develop tors would also be given age an “ideas boom” by uninvent this technology,”
Australian dollars ($800 mil- their businesses in Australia. more protections from be- promoting collaboration Keith said. “The next gener-
lion) in creating incentives Foreign students who ing held personally liable between business, uni- ation of our kids will make
for innovation and entre- graduate from Australian for a failed business, striking versities and the research decisions about this as
preneurship and promot- universities with specialized a new balance between industry.q we deal with climate risk,
whatever we do.q