Why might geoengineering proposals pose complex political, ...

[CORALGRILL2014]

Why might geoengineering proposals pose complex political, financial, and technological challenges?
  What will be the ideal response?

Question 2

List some of the consequences that climate change might have on the atmosphere and its inhabitants.
  What will be the ideal response?

[Zebsrer]

Answer to Question 1

ANSWER: Answers may vary, but should address the following:
Geoengineering proposals may have unforeseen or unwanted consequences. Injecting the stratosphere with sulfate particles, for example, might alter the temperature of the upper atmosphere and affect the fragile ozone layer. Carrying out large-scale geoengineering would be quite expensive, and it would also call for global agreement on techniques and procedures, since the results could affect the entire planet. As we have seen with the Kyoto Protocol, such global agreement can be very difficult to obtain. In short, the science of geoengineering is intriguing, but it poses complex political, financial, and technological challenges.


Answer to Question 2

ANSWER: Climate models predict that land areas will warm more rapidly than the global average, particularly in the northern high latitudes in winter. If warming allows the boreal forests to expand into the tundra, the forests may accelerate the warming in that region. As the temperature rises, organic matter in the soil should decompose at a faster rate, adding more CO2 to the air, which might accelerate the warming even more. In a warmer world, enhanced evaporation of water should lead to greater worldwide average precipitation. Some models predict that the jet stream will weaken and global winds will shift from their normal position. The shifting upper-level winds might reduce precipitation over certain areas, which, in turn, would put added stress on certain agricultural regions.