Monday, June 3 at 2:00 pm
Engineering Solar Radiation Is a Crazy Idea
Geoengineering is an ambitious set of experiments proposed by scientists to help mitigate the effects of climate change. And one type in particular, called solar geoengineering, has been the subject of debate. This process involves, among other techniques, injecting reflective particles into the stratosphere to reduce the amount of sun and heat that reaches the planet. The goal? To decrease global temperatures. Proponents argue this process would be inexpensive and effective. Plus, they say, it could limit changes in glacier melt and lessen the intensity of tropical storms. But challengers argue these techniques do not address the underlying issues of climate change, and they worry that solar geoengineering could alter weather systems or possibly even cool the planet too much. They also point to governance issues: Any country could engage these strategies, triggering the possibility of unintended consequences that could affect us all. Is solar geoengineering a radical idea? Or is it likely to emerge as an important, supplemental tool in the fight against climate change?
Debaters:
Clive Hamilton
Professor & Author, “Earthmasters: The Dawn of the Age of Climate Engineering”
Clive Hamilton is a professor of public ethics at Charles Sturt University in Canberra. Previously, he founded the Australia Institute, a leading progressive think tank, and he was appointed by the Australian government to the Climate Change Authority in 2012. His books on climate change include “Requiem for a Species: Why We Resist the Truth About Climate Change,” “Earthmasters: The Dawn of the Age of Climate Engineering,” and “Defiant Earth: The Fate of Humans in the Anthropocene.” Most recently, Hamilton is the author of “Silent Invasion: China’s Influence in Australia,” which became an immediate best-seller.
Anjali Viswamohanan
Scholar, Oxford
Anjali Viswamohanan is a Chevening scholar at the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford University and an energy policy enthusiast. She focuses on developing and assessing the feasibility of energy transition scenarios in response to the perpetually evolving technology mix. Viswamohanan has previously worked with the Council on Energy, Environment and Water in New Delhi on renewable energy policy, finance, and governance issues. She is a lawyer by training and has worked at some of India’s top law firms on energy projects and public-private partnerships in the Indian infrastructure space.
David Keith
Professor, Harvard & Founder, Carbon Engineering
David Keith has worked near the interface between climate science, energy technology, and public policy for 25 years. Best known for his work on the science, technology, and public policy of solar geoengineering, he led the development of Harvard’s Solar Geoengineering Research Program. He took first prize in Canada's national physics prize exam, won MIT’s prize for excellence in experimental physics, and was one of TIME magazine's “Heroes of the Environment.” Keith is a professor at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Harvard Kennedy School, and is the founder of Carbon Engineering, a company developing technology to capture CO2 from ambient air.
Ted Parson
Professor, UCLA
Edward Parson is the faculty co-director of the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at UCLA, where he is also the Dan and Rae Emmett professor of environmental law. Parson studies international environmental law and policy, the role of science and technology in policymaking, and the political economy of regulation. His books include “The Science and Politics of Global Climate Change” and “Protecting the Ozone Layer: Science and Strategy,” which won the International Studies Association’s Sprout award. He has worked and consulted for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the U.N. Environment Program.
Host:
John Donvan
Host and Moderator
To listen to the audio of “Engineering Solar Radiation Is a Crazy Idea” on Intelligence Squared online, please click HERE.