The dog that caught the car... now what?

Bark like hell and chew the bumper...

The heighten trepidation^[1] felt by many (including me, hence the title of this post) is understandable now that geoengineering has begun to be officially addressed by the IPCC.^[2]

In the first of three installments of its latest report, the AR5, concepts for CARBON DIOXIDE REMOVAL (CDR)^[3]and SOLAR RADIATION MANAGEMENT (SRM) ^[4] are introduced while more details are expected in future reports.

Even though it seems that the ‘science report etiquette’ was broken by the inclusion of these GE concepts on the AR5’S WORKING GROUP I contribution, it is useful precisely because it flushes out the overall latent attitudes towards GE in a more official manner, and equally important; the attitudes towards those alternatives downplayed i.e. aviation emissions ^{[5] [6] [7]} and short lived climate pollutants. ^[8][9]

I hope the IPCC finds a way in the upcoming reports from working groups II and III to explore in detail and to convey a sense of urgency on the effectiveness of these alternatives to GE in dealing with climate change.

I hope that those in the scientific community and media who are genuinely opposed to geoengineering also find a way to communicate in their critical pieces that there are viable alternatives, because ignoring them, as it has mostly been done so far, may help to wrongly frame GE as THE 'answer' to climate change.

[1] Why has geoengineering been legitimised by the IPCC?

Friday 27 September 2013 by Jack Stilgoe

http://www.theguardian.com/science/political-science/2013/sep/27/science-policy1

[2] Working Group I Contribution to the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report

Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis

Summary for Policymakers

(pg. 21)

http://www.climatechange2013.org/images/uploads/WGIAR5-SPM_Approved27Sep2013.pdf

[3] Chapter 6: Carbon and Other Biogeochemical Cycles - Final Draft Underlying Scientific-

Technical Assessment

6.5 Potential Effects of Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) Methods and Solar Radiation Management

on the Carbon Cycle .............................................................................................................................. 67

6.5.1 Introduction to CDR Methods ...................................................................................................... 67

6.5.2 Carbon Cycle Processes Involved in CDR Methods .................................................................... 70

6.5.3 Impacts of CDR Methods on Carbon Cycle and Climate ............................................................ 72

6.5.4 Impacts of Solar Radiation Management on Carbon Cycle ........................................................ 73

6.5.5 Synthesis ...................................................................................................................................... 74

http://www.climatechange2013.org/images/uploads/WGIAR5_WGI-12Doc2b_FinalDraft_Chapter06.pdf

[4] Chapter 7: Clouds and Aerosols - Final Draft Underlying Scientific-Technical Assessment

7.7 Solar Radiation Management and Related Methods ......................................................................... 59

7.7.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 59

7.7.2 Assessment of Proposed SRM Methods ....................................................................................... 59

7.7.3 Climate Response to SRM Methods ............................................................................................ 62

7.7.4 Synthesis on SRM Methods ......................................................................................................... 64

http://www.climatechange2013.org/images/uploads/WGIAR5_WGI-12Doc2b_FinalDraft_Chapter07.pdf

[5] EU agrees to bend on aviation emissions, still faces resistance

Thu Oct 3, 2013 By Barbara Lewis and Valerie Volcovici

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/10/02/us-eu-icao-idUKBRE9910O320131002

[6] Earth Warmed by Trails of Clouds that Jets Leave Behind

March 29, 2011 Wynne Parry

http://www.livescience.com/13462-contrails-climate-change-global-warming-clouds-air-travel.html

[7] A SAFER ALTERNATIVE TO SOLAR RADIATION MANAGEMENT (GEOENGINEERING)

http://geoengineeringclimateissues.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-safer-alternative-to-solar-radiation.html

[8] Pioneering black carbon researcher receives U.N. ‘Champion of the Earth’ award

Sep 27, 2013

“Veerabhadran Ramanathan, a distinguished professor of climate and atmospheric sciences at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, whose landmark research showed that cutting emissions of black carbon and other short lived climate pollutants can significantly lessen the impacts of regional and global climate change, improve the health of millions of rural poor, and avoid crop losses, will receive tonight a 2013 Champions of the Earth award, the United Nations’s highest environmental accolade.”

More…

http://environmentalresearchweb.org/cws/article/yournews/54795

[9] Cool Idea

While nations concede a pressing need for attacking carbon dioxide emissions, other pollutants offer quicker paybacks

Web edition: September 19, 2013 By Erin Wayman

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/feature/id/353386/description/Cool_Idea

(Added on Oct. 3, 2013)

Full report in PDFs

http://www.climatechange2013.org/report/review-drafts/

Final Draft (accepted)

WGI AR5 Final Draft (version 7 June 2013)

Title

Changes to the Underlying Scientific/Technical Assessment (IPCC-XXVI/Doc.4)