Geo-engineering, as the name suggests, is the engineering of Earth. You have heard electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, even nuclear engineering, but geo-engineering, what is it? It is modifying the earth to suit human needs. Feeling the sun a tad too much, engineers have a plan to install solar reflectors in space to reflect sunlight and many such innovations are on the cards. But are the engineers so adamant on the pursuit of scientific solutions that they can harm the earth in ways that we have not thought of. Let’s find out.
Why are we asking this now?
Well, we have all the reasons for asking this question. In this fast changing world when comfort and ease of living is above everything else, we have crossed thresholds which our forefathers never thought of. When Einstein gave his famous equation E = mc2, he didn’t have a clue as to what consequences would his equation bring? Hiroshima and Nagasaki is one such case. And we need to take care of our planet, who knows that in the name of science, we end up destroying our home, our planet. So, we need to really think about the consequences of our actions.
Is it really that serious?
Yes. It is serious. Scientists and engineers have come up with many schemes which can modify our planet. Like to decrease green house effect, which is basically caused by the infrared part of the sunlight’s spectrum, scientists have thought of installing solar filters in space in Earth’s orbit. They will filter out the infrared and the filtered sunlight will not cause greenhouse effect. But there are also talks of increasing the metal fillings in oceans to increase plankton population. This can adversely affect marine life. So, things like these need to be thought of carefully, and analyzed.
What others are saying:
Scientific Community is divided over geo-engineering. Some think that it will save the day. Geo-engineering is the Captain Planet of the real world. But some tend to differ and think of it more of a large foot, small shoe act. Run with it for some time and bristles and joint pains will sprout all over.
The developments:
1. Arctic geoengineering:
Arctic ice keeps methane in permafrost stage. And as methane is a greenhouse gas, so keeping the ice in solid form is very important. So, scientists are developing ways to halt ice melting.
2. Copy a volcano:
When Mt. Pinatubo in Philippines exploded in 1995, it filled the skies with sulfur-dioxide. As a result, the world’s temperature dropped by some amount for two years. SO2 acts as a mirror for sunlight and reflects it away from Earth. Scientists are planning to follow this trend, and to pump the sky with SO2.
3. Seed the sea with iron:
Phytoplankton absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere. They thrive on the shores, and when they retire, the CO2 is pushed to the bottom of the sea. So, filling the sea with iron will enable a faster growth of phytoplankton.
4. Build fake trees
Fake trees are technologically adept to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere. They are structured similar to a tree and it filters the air. They are air filters. And as proposed, they can clean a tone of CO2 per day.
The main hurdles:
The main hurdles are the consequences. Scientists are ready to shout from the rooftops that they have schemes which can counteract greenhouse effect, but environmentalists are saying that Earth is inhabited by other life forms also. Like, what will be the effect of releasing SO2 in the air on birds? What effects will be on the marine life on increasing the iron fillings in water bodies? By building fake trees, are we playing with nature? What adverse affect may happen on the cycle of trees? These are some of the important questions which science still has to answer.
What can be done
The whole scientific community and the environmentalists need to sit together, and discuss a proper solution. Because global warming is opening its fangs wider everyday, a solution is needed soon but not at the cost of destroying all other life forms.
