There’s a been a tendency to only focus on COVID-19 during the midst of the pandemic. It’s all we think about, all we talk about, all we care about. And rightfully so. It’s our #1 priority at the moment. But we can’t lose sight of our actual #1 priority, in this moment and all other moments: Climate Change. For the global havoc caused by COVID-19 will pale in comparison to what horrors await us when the global food chain collapses and entire regions become unlivable.
It’s with that in mind that (and in honor of Earth Day) that I wanted to bring you news of a successful geoengineering scheme. One in which Australian scientists went to great lengths to artificially brighten clouds over the Great Barrier Reef in an attempt to reflect sunlight back into space and cool the temperature of the ocean so that the reef would have a fighting chance to restore some of its lost luster.
While the attempt was successful it’s just the beginning of what would need to be a years long study into the viability of such an effort. As Science Alert explains:
“The experiment was carried out by [Southern Cross] University and the Sydney Institute of Marine Science late last month, just before a comprehensive scientific survey found that the reef had suffered its most widespread coral bleaching on record.
Bleaching occurs when healthy corals become stressed by changes in ocean temperatures — causing them to expel algae, which drains them of their vibrant colors.
It was the third mass bleaching event in the past five years, raising fears that much of the reef’s coral could be permanently damaged.
To have a significant impact on the reef, a full-scale experiment would need to be 10 times larger, involving the use of several big barge-mounted turbines…”
Personally, I’m a big fan of geoengineering schemes and feel that it is likely inevitable that humanity will be forced to turn to one of these schemes on a global scale in order to save civilization. Of course, such projects could have unintended consequences and make the situation worse as we dabble with and try to control complex ecosystems that we don’t yet fully understand. Hence the need for further research.
But at the same time such schemes may represent our best and potentially only hope for staving off the devastating effects of Climate Change. That’s why it’s vital that these scientists continue to make progress and wind up with a viable method for cooling our oceans. Something that would not only save coral reefs around the world but also make the oceans more livable for wildlife (thereby saving the global food chain) and also make it less likely that Hurricanes (or at least Category 5 Hurricanes) could form. Vital work no matter how you look at it.
Is a cloud brightening geoengineering scheme the Greatest Idea Ever?
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