Dear EarthTalk: Solar Geo-Engineering

Solar geo-engineering is a term describing any of various techniques for reducing the amount of sunlight that reaches the Earth and its atmosphere. Researchers are exploring the feasibility of utilizing solar geo-engineering to reflect some of the sun’s heat back into space before it can reach the Earth and further contribute to the greenhouse effect that is causing our climate to warm…While employing such techniques might seem like a no-brainer, there are inherent risks. Alan Robock, an atmospheric scientist at Rutgers University, warns that adding sulfur to the skies, for instance, could shift rainfall patterns and hasten the thinning of the ozone layer. "We are going to put the entire fate of the only planet we know that can sustain life on this one technical intervention that may go wrong?" he asks.