Andrew Lockley
2016-07-05 14:06:45 UTC
https://www.cia.gov/news-information/speeches-testimony/2016-speeches-testimony/director-brennan-speaks-at-the-council-on-foreign-relations.html
Extract
Another example is the array of technologiesâoften referred to collectively
as geoengineeringâthat potentially could help reverse the warming effects
of global climate change. One that has gained my personal attention is
stratospheric aerosol injection, or SAI, a method of seeding the
stratosphere with particles that can help reflect the sunâs heat, in much
the same way that volcanic eruptions do.
An SAI program could limit global temperature increases, reducing some
risks associated with higher temperatures and providing the world economy
additional time to transition from fossil fuels. The process is also
relatively inexpensiveâthe National Research Council estimates that a fully
deployed SAI program would cost about $10 billion yearly.
As promising as it may be, moving forward on SAI would raise a number of
challenges for our government and for the international community. On the
technical side, greenhouse gas emission reductions would still have to
accompany SAI to address other climate change effects, such as ocean
acidification, because SAI alone would not remove greenhouse gases from the
atmosphere.
On the geopolitical side, the technologyâs potential to alter weather
patterns and benefit certain regions at the expense of others could trigger
sharp opposition by some nations. Others might seize on SAIâs benefits and
back away from their commitment to carbon dioxide reductions. And, as with
other breakthrough technologies, global norms and standards are lacking to
guide the deployment and implementation of SAI.
Extract
Another example is the array of technologiesâoften referred to collectively
as geoengineeringâthat potentially could help reverse the warming effects
of global climate change. One that has gained my personal attention is
stratospheric aerosol injection, or SAI, a method of seeding the
stratosphere with particles that can help reflect the sunâs heat, in much
the same way that volcanic eruptions do.
An SAI program could limit global temperature increases, reducing some
risks associated with higher temperatures and providing the world economy
additional time to transition from fossil fuels. The process is also
relatively inexpensiveâthe National Research Council estimates that a fully
deployed SAI program would cost about $10 billion yearly.
As promising as it may be, moving forward on SAI would raise a number of
challenges for our government and for the international community. On the
technical side, greenhouse gas emission reductions would still have to
accompany SAI to address other climate change effects, such as ocean
acidification, because SAI alone would not remove greenhouse gases from the
atmosphere.
On the geopolitical side, the technologyâs potential to alter weather
patterns and benefit certain regions at the expense of others could trigger
sharp opposition by some nations. Others might seize on SAIâs benefits and
back away from their commitment to carbon dioxide reductions. And, as with
other breakthrough technologies, global norms and standards are lacking to
guide the deployment and implementation of SAI.
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