THE Royal Society is backing research into simulated volcanic eruptions, spraying millions of tons of dust into the air, in an attempt to stave off climate change.
The society will this week call for a global programme of studies into geo-engineering — the manipulation of the Earth’s climate to counteract global warming — as the world struggles to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
It will suggest in a report that pouring sulphur-based particles into the upper atmosphere could be one of the few options available to humanity to keep the world cool.
The intervention by the Royal Society comes amid tension ahead of the United Nations-sponsored climate talks in Copenhagen in December to agree global cuts in carbon dioxide emissions. Preliminary discussions have gone so badly that many scientists believe geo-engineering will be needed as a “plan B”.
Ken Caldeira, an earth scientist at Stanford University, California, and a member of a Royal Society working group on geo-engineering, said dust sprayed into the stratosphere in volcanic eruptions was known to cool the Earth by reflecting light back into space.
“If I had a dollar for geo-engineering research I would put 90 cents of it into stratospheric aerosols and 10 cents into everything else,” said Caldeira.
The interest in so-called aerosols is linked to the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines in 1991, the second largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century. The explosion blasted up to 20m tons of tiny sulphur particles into the air, cooling the planet by about 0.5C before they fell back to earth.
The Royal Society is Britain’s premier science institution and its decision to take geo-engineering seriously is a measure of the desperation felt by scientists about climate change.
read the rest of the story here
WilliMc (14:51:52)
I’m well aware that DDT and eggshell thinning is controversial (and of the great benefits of DDT as an insecticide.) I’m not anti-DDT, just pro wise and careful use (and pro science). As I said in my brief comment to Evan, shell thinning was disproved in gallinaceous birds including Japanese quail, a common laboratory species. However, much of the literature is ancient now, but there is pretty strong evidence that shell thinning and gonadal lesions occur in at least some species of raptors. A very thorough and controlled two generation study by MacLellan, et.al. (1995) testing Dicofol (a close congener of DDT) demonstrated statistically significant shell thinning, gonadal lesions, and feminization of males in a captive colony of American kestrels. Interestingly and back to chickens, Holm, et.al. in Sweden more recently (2006) demonstrated shell thinning and oviduct abnormalities in hens which were directly exposed in ovo to DDT. I don’t want to start a new thread so that’s all I have. Suffice to say the controversy yet lives.
Best,
DavidinDavis
Reading this report is quite instructive: if the same attempt were to be made for engineering the human race, these people would be considered very suspiciously. In particular their demand that there should be a consultation and explanation policy prior to attempting geoengineering, their dismissal of precautionary principle because the goal is -of course, what else- to save the planet from its own life is worrying at best.
One has also to consider the authors. Take the University of Calgary guru Dr. Keith, his latest computer model based work on the alteration of climate by large wind farms through an influence on Rossby waves… (I am not kidding!)raises the alarm of meteorological analphabetism: changing the climate would mean altering the path and strength of MPHs that are 1500m thick through the few patches of wind turbines which max height would reach 100m… Sure the turbulent air dowstream of the turbine might change some parameters, just as building hectares of parking lots can alter locally the temperature, but as far as modifying the path of and intensity of MPHs… the good doctor is dreaming.
David (21:46:53) :
evanmjones (20:39:07) Sorry to go off topic, but I have to have a bit of a go at you on the DDT thing. DDT was a very good insecticide especially for mosquitoes which, of course transmit malaria and other vector borne viruses, but it’s indiscriminate use especially when broadcast was not. While it has been shown that it did not affect the eggs of gallinaceous or song birds, it does accumulate in the food chain and does cause pathological thinning of egg shells in raptors and caused severe harm to the populations of many of hawks, ospreys, etc. In addition, it did have a “silent spring” effect on song birds by diminishing their food supply, namely insects. Its complete ban was probably unwise, but how does one prevent excessive and indiscriminate use, especially in third world countries where pesticide regulations, if they exist at all, are widely ignored? Carbofuran is another example. It is sold and labeled as a soil fumigant/pesticide in East Africa, but is widely used by tribal herders as a very effective poison for lions when they kill cattle or threaten people. Sometimes an entire pride is wiped out by feeding on a single baited carcass. This has been devastating to lion populations which have been in severe decline for years. Lecture over :=)
It is controversial, but as Junk Science pointed out at the time no evidence of egg shell thinning in raptors was found attributable to DDT, but was attributalbe another additive to the feed, known to cause egg shell thinning. Ms Carson also liked to be selective in her evidence presentation.
I also point out that these birds were fed with obscence amounts of DDT that were extremely unlikely to occur in the wild. It is typical of experimentation today, vast amounts of a substance is pumped into a rat only for it to develop tumors, then claims are made about the corcenogenic effects of said substance! I also point out that there are ALWAYS those who will abuse & misuse something or other, it is an unfortunate trait of human nature!:-)
Lucy Skywalker
Bob Ward has had a chequered carteer since leaving the Royal Society.
This shows he was moving to a co called Risk Management.
http://www.stempra.org.uk/newsletter/06_autumn/06.htm
Interestingly this co also popped up during the exchange you referred to above
http://www.climateaudit.org/?p=1519
This about the co itself;
http://www.rms.com/AboutRMS/
But he had a short tenure there, moving here;
http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/granthamInstitute/whoswho.htm
Well well! The chair of the Institute is none other than NIck Stern- climate expert (when he is not a treasury adviser preparing costs and taxation opportunities on AGW for Gordon Brown). Its a small incestous world isnt it?
tonyb
Lucy
Update:
I see that Bob Ward is a considerable fan of Al Gore and wrote to him
http://www.researchresearch.com/media/pdf/Gore2685.pdf
tonyb
We’ll leave it up to Anthony to Handel the question of getting someone to write some new Royal Freworks Music to accompany these Gummint volcanoes; that the Royal Society wants. Who was it who declined a fellowship of the Royal Society, on the grounds that he wouldn’t belong to any organisation that would have him as a member.
Seems as thoguh the Royal Society has had its better days.
Seems to me I recall that one time many years ago; someone in New Zealand came up with the harebrained idea of starting up a man made volcano in the crater of Rangitoto as a spectacular Guy Fawkes day celebration.
In the end; sanity prevailed and they decided to leave sleeping dogs lie; and since the greater Auckland area is built on some 60 presumably extinct volcanoes; that was a pretty good idea.
Starting up a synthetic volcano, in Auckland sounds a bit like The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, round-II to me.
Yearly mean English temperature for 1884, was much warmer than 1883 when Krakatoa erupted. 1992 was warmer than 1991 when Pinatubo erupted. Its the same story for Santa Maria in 1902 (VEI 6 ?) and Novarupta in 1912 (VEI 6) and Agung in 1963 and El Chichon in 1982. Rather strange looking cooling!
George E. Smith (14:49:35) :
We’ll leave it up to Anthony to Handel the question of getting someone to write some new Royal Freworks Music to accompany these Gummint volcanoes; that the Royal Society wants.
The Royal Society doesn’t want any volcanos, that’s just some nonsense the Sunday Times wrote.
Who was it who declined a fellowship of the Royal Society, on the grounds that he wouldn’t belong to any organisation that would have him as a member.
Groucho Marx!
Ulric Lyons (15:16:36) : “Yearly mean English temperature for 1884, was much warmer than 1883 when Krakatoa erupted. 1992 was warmer than 1991 when Pinatubo erupted. Its the same story for Santa Maria in 1902 (VEI 6 ?) and Novarupta in 1912 (VEI 6) and Agung in 1963 and El Chichon in 1982. Rather strange looking cooling!”
Hush!!
http://blog.modernmechanix.com/mags/MechanixIllustrated/1-1946/rose_wisdom_die.jpg