Geoengineering Is an Option. Just Read the Fine Print

Let’s be clear: time is getting short. Even as we race to build roads from carbon-sequestering concrete, breed drought-resistant crops, and perfect our battery tech, emissions keep rising. To avert the worst, we may need to turn to geoengineering—the deliberate, large-scale manipulation of the environment to counteract climate change.

Technically, planting a lot of trees is a form of geoengineering. So is fertilizing the ocean with iron filings to stimulate plankton growth. So is using massive CO₂ scrubbers to pull carbon directly from the air. (In theory, anyway—that particular technology is still in alpha.)

But what if the planet could just put on a sun hat for a while? That way, at least, we could sop up the carbon mess in relative comfort. Scientists have proposed a range of techniques—some commonsense, some harebrained, some downright scary. Then again, isn’t climate change pretty scary too?

Surface Radiation Management

How It Works

To reflect sunlight back into space, countries paint their roofs, roads, and side