Geoengineering Options to Respond to Climate Change:
Input to the Workshop and Suggested Reading


Download a bibliography of relevant material here. (PDF, 77.5 MB)

The following are comments submitted via the America's Climate Choices website. The opinions expressed are solely those of the commenters and are not representative of the views of America's Climate Choices, the National Academies, or any of its volunteers or employees.

Commenter's name Date Submitted Summary Full Text Attachments
Jay Apt, Carnegie Mellon University 6/25/09 Proposes building international cooperation to take advantage of the next large volcanic eruption as an opportunity for research See attachment Building cooperation from the next eruption
David Hermann, Office of Ocean and Polar Affairs, State Dept. 6/22/09 Practical, legal, and ethical issues associated with geo-engineering, in particular the pursuit of scientific research and near-term actions that may be required to support informed decisions related to geo-engineering. More Ocean Fertilization: Seven principles for "legitimate scientific research" involving ocean fertilization
Greg H. Rau, University of California, Santa Cruz 6/22/09 Ways of safely enhancing atmospheric C uptake and storage by the ocean must not be ignored, especially since it is not obvious that currently favored land- and atmosphere-base mitigation methods by themselves will be safe, effective, and timely. See attachment Geoengineering via Chemical Enhancement of Ocean CO2 Uptake and Storage, or Ignore Ocean Chemistry at our Peril
Stephen Salter, University of Edinburgh 6/22/09 Proposes pumping warm water downwards to below the thermocline to produce gentler hurricanes See attachment A 20 GWThermal 300-metre3/sec Wave-energised, Surge-mode Nutrient-pump for Removing Atmospheric Carbon dioxide, Increasing Fish Stocks and Suppressing Hurricanes
John Latham, UCAR 6/22/09 Proposes Increasing the albedo of shallow oceanic clouds by seeding them with seawater aerosol. See attachment Global Temperature Stabilisation via Cloud Albedo Enhancement
Stephen Salter, University of Edinburgh 6/22/09 Describes the hardware to implement John Latham's idea to increase cloud albedo. See attachment Sea-going hardware for the cloud albedo method of reversing global warming
Armond Cohen, Clean Air Task Force 6/22/09 Urges consideration of research on the full range of geo-engineering options but especially those which are readily reversible and have the lowest risk of unintended consequences. See attachment Submission on Geo-Engineering Research to America's Energy Choices
Fritz Klasner 6/22/09 Biochar as a carbon sink More Bio-energy in the black
Ian S. F. Jones, ECOR 6/22/09 Discusses ocean storage of carbon See attachment Carbon Storage in the Ocean
Brian Von Herzen, The Climate Foundation 6/22/09 Suggests restoring plankton biomass as a way of increasing low-latitude cloud reflectance. See attachment Restoring the natural subtropical sulfur cycle without depleting stratospheric ozone
Kristina M. Gjerde, IUCN Global Marine Programme 6/22/09 Legal considerations on ocean fertilization See attachment Practical, legal, and ethical issues associated with geo-engineering: A legal update on ocean fertilization from IUCN
Kathy Jo Wetter, ETC Group 6/22/09 There should be a moratorium on further geoengineering in situ experiments, at least until universal, democratic governance is established that is guided by the precautionary principle. See attachment Geoengineering's Governance Vacuum: Unilateralism and the Future of the Planet
James R. Fleming 6/10/09 Lessons from History and Sciences Studies See attachment Lessons from History and Sciences Studies
William R. Travis, University of Colorado 6/10/09 Focuses on lessons from the social science of weather modification. See attachment Geo-Engineering the Climate: An Emerging Technology Assessment
William R. Travis, University of Colorado 6/12/09 Lessons from the social dimensions of weather modification See attachment Geo-Engineering the Climate: Lessons from Purposeful Weather and Climate Modification
James S. Wang, Environmental Defense Fund 6/9/09 Practical, legal, and ethical issues associated with geoengineering See attachment Written input on practical, legal, and ethical issues associated with geoengineering
Lee Lane, Resident Fellow, American Enterprise Institute 6/5/09 The NAS geoengineering workshop is correct to highlight governance. See attachment Climate engineering, governance, and transaction costs
Martin Bunzl 6/10/09 Evaluates moral and methodological arguments against geoengineering See attachment Researching Geoengineering: Shouldn't or Couldn't?
Philomene A. Verlaan, University of Hawai'i 6/10/09 Geo-engineering projects that are likely to affect the marine environment must comply with the environmental requirements of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOSC). See attachment Environmental consequences of geo-engineering projects: legal issues
James Anderson, Harvard 6/10/09 A key to addressing Climate Engineering is to formulate as complete a delineation as possible of the feedbacks within the climate system that set the foundation for determining irreversible behavior of the coupled system. These feedbacks and the irreversibility associated therewith define both the imperative to consider climate engineering and the potential risks associated therewith. See attachment Climate Engineering and the Role of Feedbacks in the Climate Structure
Mark Schoeberl NASA/GSFC 6/25/09 Stratospheric Chemical and Aerosol Measurements and their Continuity See attachment Mark Schoeberl: A Proposal to Ensure the Continuity of Stratospheric Chemistry Measurements and to Augment Aerosol Monitoring Capabilities
Jason J Blackstock, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis 6/15/09 Describes a a one-week study in which the authors conducted a technical review and evaluation of proposed climate engineering concepts that might serve as a rapid palliative response to climate emergency scenarios. See attachment Climate Engineering Responses to Climate Emergencies
Peter Ward, U.S. Geological Survey, retired 6/2/09 Two problems with injecting sulfur into the lower stratosphere More -
Kevin E. Trenberth, NCAR 5/27/09 (1) Effects of Mount Pinatubo volcanic eruption on the hydrological cycle as an analog of geoengineering, (2) ethical issues of geoengineering More
  • Effects of Mount Pinatubo volcanic eruption on the hydrological cycle as an analog of geoengineering
  • Geoengineering: What, how and for whom?
    		•
    Mark Massmann, M2 Design LLC 6/3/09 Mitigate global warming by increasing global cloud reflectivity (albedo) without harming the environment. More Global Warming Mitigation without Harming the Environment
    Oliver W. Wingenter, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology 6/3/09 Enhancing the natural sulfur cycle to slow global warming See attachments
  • New Directions: Enhancing the natural sulfur cycle to slow global warming
  • Enhancing the natural sulfur cycle to slow climate change
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    Mark Capron, PODenergy 5/31/09 Plankton Ocean Digester (POD)energy is a holistic solution of renewable energy + carbon sequestration + nutrient recycle + food production + increased species diversity. See attachment Plankton Ocean Digester (POD)energy
    Ken O. Buesseler, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution 5/29/09 It is premature to sell carbon offsets from ocean iron fertilization unless research provides the scientific foundation to evaluate risks and benefits. More Ocean Iron Fertilization: Moving Forward in a Sea of Uncertainty
    Ray Schmitt, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution 6/9/09 Proposes OTEC as a green energy source that could be a "silver bullet" for the climate change problem. See attachment Ocean Pipes: Is OTEC a "Silver Bullet" for Climate Change?
    Andrew Lockley, Meng & Man 6/12/09 Here's a number of techniques that may be useful for dealing with Methane. They can be treated as individual essays or expanded. I am happy to expand any sections on request. More -
    Leslie Field, Ice911 Research Corporation 6/12/09 Attached please find a 500-word description of an albedo modification project underway for several years. Please call or email if you need any further information. See attachment Ice911: Albedo modification
    Philip W. Kithil, Atmocean, Inc. 6/12/09 Two submissions See attachments
  • Geoengineering Application Of Wave-Driven Ocean Upwelling Pumps
  • A supply-side global financial mechanism to combat climate change
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    Peter Kelemen, Lamont Doherty 6/12/09 In situ reaction of CO2 with a common rock type, mantle peridotite, to form solid carbonate minerals could be used to capture and store billions of tons of CO2 per km3 of rock per year. See attachment In Situ Mineral Carbonation in Peridotite for CO2 Capture and Storage
    Bruce Waters 6/7/09 Use Heat Retroreflective Microspheres instead of White Paint. More -
    Peter Read 6/5/09 Two metrics for climatic danger, carbon stock management See attachment Some semblance of a game plan
    Francois Maugis, Energie Environnement, France 5/30/09 It seems that the Atmospheric Vortex Engine (or tower), originally planned to produce energy, is probably one of the best solution to "diminish the amount of climate change". More
  • Solar Chinmey Products
  • Solar Chinmey Products 2
  • Canadian Academy of Engineering Evaluation Summary
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    John Duke 6/9/09 Proposes an anchored drogue array that uses kinetic energy in the Equatorial Undercurrent to induce a distinct form of equatorially symmetric La Nina (hereafter ESLN) in which the EUC surfaces and a winter monsoon cell forms over the equator. See attachment Geoengineering proposal to leverage Earth's natural cooling mechanisms
    Paul A. Curto 6/6/09 Plasmafication vs Combustion. More -
    Nuno Cruz 5/29/09 SAVE THOUSAND DOLLARS EACH TRUCK IN FUEL WITH WATER FOR HYDROGEN More -
    Edward Greisch 5/28/09 Make it legal to not mow your lawn. More -
    Edward Greisch 5/28/09 Proposes making charcoal from leaves and burying it to sequester the CO2 that would otherwise be released from burning. More -
    Edward Greisch 5/28/09 Cover the ice free Arctic Ocean and melted tundra peat bog lakes with white or aluminum coated ping pong balls. More -
    Edward Greisch 5/28/09 Educate the public on the hazards of coal and the fact that nuclear power is by far the safest source of electricity available. More
  • GAMMA-RAY MY RASPBERRIES
  • ENVIRONMENTALISTS FOR NUCLEAR ENERGY
  • Why terrorists can't rob radioactive materials from nuclear reactors
  • Coal Combustion: Nuclear Resource or Danger?
  • Yucca Mountain is full of nuclear fuel that needs to be reprocessed.
  • Collected Loose Pages
  • There are two types of 21st century reactors that cannot melt down no matter how badly they are treated.
  • Factory built nuclear power plants
  • Why a Nuclear Powerplant CAN NOT Explode like a Nuclear Bomb
  • Odds of Dying from X
  • OUR NUCLEAR FUTURE: THE PATH OF SELECTIVE IGNORANCE
  • Power to Save the World: The Truth About Nuclear Energy
  • Recycling Nuclear Fuel
  • Missing uranium
  • Terrorists cannot cause a meltdown of our newest nuclear reactors
  • New uranium mining
  • Background radiation
    • Johnnie Buttram 6/6/09 Siphonics Natural Engineering See attachment Siphonics Natural Engineering