Geoengineering

Geoengineering refers to the branch of engineering that attempts to produce climatic change in global scale to mitigate the effects of global warming. It is a science under heavy development in the last years, mainly due to the increase in awareness about global climate issues such as global warming and the melting of polar ice caps. Techniques for geoengineering include carbon capture, aerosol release and even the launching of small mirrors into outer space that would reflect incoming sunlight. These practices are supported by several organizations worldwide, including the Institute of Mechanical Engineers and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. According to the IPCC (Intergovernamental Panel on Global Change), the branch of the UN that studies and researches changes in the global climate, however, geoengineering is largely composed of unproven theories. The cost for each of the projects is unknown, and gross estimations range from 225 million dollars to 100 billion dollars. toc =History= For more than half a decade the harmful effects of several gases emitted by the industry were well-known. In 1992 a report of the National Research Council provided the first estimated for carbon removal. =Criticism= Critics of geoengineering argue that if the media focuses on geoengineering as a solution for the climate issue, most of the population will stop trying to reduce greenhouse emissions, worsening the problem that has to be solved. =Explanation in video= media type="youtube" key="sNrkp6a_6As" height="315" width="560" The above video is by Professor Alan Robock (see more about him below) =Applications and key terms= =Implementation status= So far, no large-scale geoengineering project has been completed. However, there are several promising advances in all areas. Carbon Capture and Storage, for example, has already small and medium scale programs focused on replanting trees to capture carbon dioxide. =A name in the filed: Alan Robock= Alan Robock is a geoengineer with a PhD in Meteorology at the MIT, State Climatologist and Professor at the University of Maryland. According to him, the effects of global warming are real. If we wait for too long to have further proof, we will be too late to significantly reverse any potentially hazardous effect. He sees geoengineering not as a substitute to reduction of greenhouse gases emission, but as an instrument for mitigation that will alleviate some of the most pressing and negative effects of the global climate change. His body of research is extense, with more than 50 publications on topics such as climate change and geoengineering. =Current events= On May 26th, 2012, an International Conference on Geoengineering was especulated to happen during 2013. No dates or members have been announced, and whether such conference will actually happen depends extremely on the results of the UN Climate Change Conference that will happen in Qatar in December 2012. The stated purpose of this conference is to "give credence to geoengineering worldwide". =Journal articles= > > > >
 * Cloud Whitening: The release of small particles from oceanic locations into the cloud to make themn brighter and reflect more of the incoming solar radiation.
 * Carbon Capture and Storage: The technique of capturing and storing carbon dioxide removing it from the atmosphere.
 * Blocking sunlight: Artificially modifying the atmospheric composition to reflect solar rays.
 * Aerosol release: Inserting particles in the stratosphere using balloons to reflect sunlight.
 * Increase of phytoplankton in ocean: Removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through microscopic scale algae that use it in photosynthesis.
 * //Reuters:// Scientists warn geoengineering may disrupt rainfall - []
 * ////Nature://// Geoengineering experiment cancelled amid patent row - []
 * ////OPB News://// Geoengineering: Risky To Do, Riskier To Ignore - []
 * //Robock, Alan//: Will geoengineering with solar radiation management ever be used? Ethics, Policy & Environment - []

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