The 21school has started a new blog to discuss the latest report from the Royal Society on geoengineering. The report addresses the current lack of accessible, high quality information on geoengineering techniques by providing a detailed assessment of the various methods and considering the potential efficiency and unintended consequences of large-scale climate interventions.
Professor Steve Rayner, Director of the 21school's Institute for Science, Innovation and Society, was a member of the multidisciplinary group of 12 working experts who conducted the geoengineering study for the Royal Society.
The report recognizes the growing and urgent need for a scientifically-grounded and ethically-informed debate about the costs, benefits, feasibility and implications of large-scale intervention in the world's climate system to counteract global warming. It concludes that geoengineering the climate is not an alternative to emissions reduction, but a great deal more research and investment is needed in order to make appropriate and effective decisions in case a climate emergency arises.
The full report is available on the Royal Society's website. We invite comments and discussion on the 21school blog.
Related Links and Resources
- Royal Society Report on Geoengineering
- 21School Blog on Geoengineering the Climate
- Prof Steve Rayner comments in the New Scientist