An earth systems engineering perspective on geoengineering

The growing recognition of the inadequacies of the Kyoto Protocol and the ongoing climate change negotiating process has led to increasing interest in large-scale technology modification of earth systsems – ‘geoengineering’ – as a response. Although it is important to identify alternatives, technolo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers. Engineering sustainability 2013-10, Vol.166 (5), p.220-228
Main Author: Allenby, Brad
Format: Article
Language:eng
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The growing recognition of the inadequacies of the Kyoto Protocol and the ongoing climate change negotiating process has led to increasing interest in large-scale technology modification of earth systsems – ‘geoengineering’ – as a response. Although it is important to identify alternatives, technological and otherwise, to help mitigate the effects of, and adapt to, climate change, geoengineering techniques as currently understood are naïve and potentially very risky. An earth systems engineering and management perspective enables a deeper understanding of the challenges raised by technological solutions, and suggests means by which geoengineering approaches might be modified to be both more effective and less risky.
ISSN:1478-4629
1751-7680