Thursday, December 25, 2014

The ECONOMIST endorses Planetary Geoengineering


The venerable Economist magazine began publication in 1843, and is one of the most respected news magazines on the planet.   It is noted for its independent reporting and rational and economically analysis of global issues.   In its December 13, 2014 issue, the Economist endorsed the use of planetary geoengineering.

The main point of the article in the "Science and Technology" section of the magazine, is that "scientific studies of techniques for deliberately modifying the climate are getting ready to move out of the laboratory" and for the most part thats a good thing if proper care and caution is taken.  The Economist notes that the risks from a warming climate are real and substantial, and political efforts to craft treaties to stop global warming are producing lots of nice sounding promises but little to nothing that actually requires reductions of emissions of CO2.  Geoengineering may offer a way to delay or mitigate some of the worst aspects of global warming.

The Economist also notes the existence of a group of academics who oppose even discussing geoengineering out of fear that the promise of a geoengineering "solution" to global warming may influence politicians and the public not to take difficult measures to reduce CO2 emissions in the belief that geoengineering may "save" them from a warming planet.   But the idea that not  discussing or preparing to deal with problems somehow averts the problems is clearly wrong-headed.

                Geoengineering?  Nope uh uh no way nope nope nope nope don't want to know 


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