From John Chubb
There are technical as well as political risks associated with geoengineering approaches to limit the impact of climate change (6 August, p 3).
If research shows that predicted temperature rises could be limited by geoengineering, it is likely there will be pressure to go ahead, with a corresponding reduction in pressure to limit emissions. This may be successful in the short term, but stronger and stronger geoengineering will be needed if emissions continue to grow.
Life on Earth will become dependent on the continued effectiveness of increasingly potent human interventions.
The only acceptable use for geoengineering would be to buy time while we try to cut emissions, not as an alternative to emissions control.
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Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK
