News
Geoengineering Faces a Wave of Backlash Over Regulatory Gaps and Unknown Risks
Technologies to slow global warming by manipulating the environment are rapidly advancing, but some experts want to pump the brakes.
By Kiley Price
In 1991, Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines erupted with enough force to spew high amounts of gas and ash all the way into the stratosphere, which starts roughly 4 miles above the Earth’s surface.
Related Knowledge Center: Climate: geoengineering
State of Play
As the threat of climate change has gone from theoretical to apparent, proposals for a more aggressive attempt at mitigation through geoengineering have gained currency in some scientific corners, drawn skepticism or outright opposition in others. Prospects for geoengineering would likely improve in inverse proportion to prospects for nations to hit their emissions targets to slow, then reverse the warming of the planet.