Detailed report on the use of solar geoengineering
technologyreview.com
technologyreview.com
>She fears that the rising dangers of climate change will put growing pressure on nations and other actors to move forward with solar geoengineering, even if no one has done the necessary research to reduce scientific uncertainty and sort out the technical challenges.
>“We don’t think the alternative is decisions not happening at all,” she says. “We think the alternative is decisions being made in a panic or on lack of evidence.”
Unfortunately the article ends on that point and we don't get the rebuttal of the lofty idyllic academics or fearful policymakers.
Also it does annoy me when people say "well it went badly wrong in the Matrix/Snowpiercer/etc., therefore we should not even talk about it, as it is clearly stupid. It may be stupid, or it may not be, but that should be determined on its own (de)merits, not because fiction used the idea as a plot device.
So the sulfur schemes are viable, in that they will block radiation and cool the planet. God knows what else it'll do - but the fact that sulfur works at scale and it's easiest option to try indicates that someone may attempt it before we understand.
I know it's a work of fiction, but check out Neal Stephenson's "Termination Shock". That's basically the plot.
And get wide global agreement that anyone geoengineering when they are still pumping oil is effectively declaring war on other countries and so attacks on their pipelines or ports are considered a counter strike.
One, we're doing a pretty good job of that without any particular aim in mind. Two, this currently constitutes a war crime and will always constitute collective punishment.