MIMICKING volcanoes has been proposed as a last-ditch solution to climate change. The idea is that pumping sulphur particles into the atmosphere would reproduce the cooling effect of a large eruption. All very well – except it now seems it could also cause catastrophic drought.
Kevin Trenberth and Aiguo Dai of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado have shown that a “sulphur sunshade” could have a deleterious effect on the environment by reducing rainfall. Sulphur sunshades are inspired by the climatic effects of large volcanic eruptions, which blast sulphate particles into the stratosphere. The particles reflect some of the…
