Quick climate changes fixes come with huge dangers, warn scientists

August 7, 2009

Quick climate changes fixes come with huge dangers, warn scientists

Hannah Devlin

Plans to reduce global warming by blasting jets of water into the atmosphere or placing mirrors in space could have devastating consequences, two climate scientists warn today.

They say that while such ideas may be highly effective, they could lead to severe droughts.

Susan Solomon, a climate scientist at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Gabi Hegerl, a climate scientist at the University of Edinburgh, caution against the entrepreneurial “we can fix this thing” approach and say that a calm, methodical inquiry is needed.

“We’re not against climate engineering but we need to understand the consequences better than we do now before rushing into such a massive experiment,” Professor Hegerl said.

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