The Practicality of Geoengineering

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Injecting sulfate aerosol precursors into the stratosphere has been suggested as a means of geoengineering to cool the planet and reduce global warming. Here we evaluate the practicality of this means of geoengineering by examining the costs of using airplanes, balloons, or artillery to place hydrogen sulfide (H2S) into the lower stratosphere, in either the tropics or the Arctic. Existing U.S. military fighter and tanker planes could be retrofitted, and the annual costs would be several billion dollars. Using artillery or balloons to loft the gas would be much more expensive. We do not have enough information to evaluate more exotic techniques, such as pumping the gas up through a hose attached to a tower or balloon system. While the cost of injecting aerosol precursors would not be a limiting factor, there are many other potential problems with geoengineering, and they need to be evaluated and compared to the potential benefits before a decision to proceed with geoengineering can be made.

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