INDIVIDUAL REPORT

Topic:Sustainable living

ISSUE: Can climate engineering save the fate of the earth?

by: Zarriyah Alam

Long-term changes in weather and temperature patterns are known as climate change. Human
activities have been the primary cause of climate change, mostly due to the combustion of
fossil fuels. As the concentration of greenhouse gases increases in the atmosphere global
surface temperatures also rise significantly. Climate change also affects water availability,
making it scarcer in more regions. The overall temperatures of the oceans increase putting
many species in danger. Climate change has various health risks and currently, it is the biggest
threat faced by humanity. The Union of Concerned Scientists (USA) describes climate
engineering as a large-scale intervention in the earth’s climate to counter climate change.
Climate engineering consists of technologies meant to alter the climate to reduce its impacts.
I’ve chosen this topic because of my interest in living sustainably and countering climate
change. In my report, I will also be focusing on the two issues linked with climate engineering
which are solar geoengineering and carbon geoengineering.

The basic concept of solar geoengineering is to partially reflect sunlight by injecting aerosols
into the stratosphere under a special type of solar radiation management program. The views
regarding the implementation of this climate engineering remain controversial among scientists
across the globe because of the involved risks, challenges, and uncertainties. Globally the most
significant cause of this controversy is the unexpected consequences linked with the
implementation of the programme. The UNO states that “Due to the great uncertainties over
the effectiveness and side effects of climate engineering – including the risk of disrupting natural
systems – experts think that there is a need to discuss climate engineering governance.”
(Climate engineering is risky, but should be explored, experts say at UN conference 2017). The
unexpected consequences of solar geoengineering significantly impact the process by
challenging the understanding and may result in a reevaluation of models. Another significant
cause of this issue is undermining emissions mitigation involving the use of policies and
strategies to reduce greenhouse emissions in the atmosphere. The main concern remains that if
the development of solar geoengineering is perceived as a substitute for reducing emissions it
might undermine the commitment to adopting sustainable practices. A lack of emphasis on
emissions reduction would exacerbate the main cause of climate change. However The New
York Times says, “Stopping emissions stops making the climate worse. But repairing the
damage, insofar as repair is possible, will require more than emissions cuts. (Keith 2021).
Globally the most common perspective is that solar geoengineering conflicts with international
laws, mainly “the no harm rule”. “The no-harm rule is a widely recognized principle of
customary international law whereby a State is duty-bound to prevent, reduce and control the
risk of environmental harm to other states” (‘No-harm rule’ and climate change n.d.). Jesse
Reynolds after reviewing international treaties concluded that solar geoengineering does not
oppose them, rather that it might even be required by international law. However, according to
a book published by Cambridge, “Kerryn Brent reaches the exact opposite conclusion. She
argues that solar geoengineering at scale would violate the no-harm rule and is prohibited by
the UNFCCC and other treaties.” (Brent 2021). The principal scientific advisor Ajay K. Sood to the
Indian government told a climate-focused conference in New Delhi, “This technology may end
up concentrating power in rich countries or nonstate actors in the global north,” (Birnbaum
2023). However after going through an article by American Meteorological Society I found out
that despite this view after the recent funding initiative taken by the primary funding agency of
India, research on geoengineering models begun. Pakistan is a country that is highly vulnerable
to the impacts of climate change despite its significantly low emissions however, due to the
local literacy rate and declining economy there is a lack of knowledge regarding the
effectiveness and potential impacts of geoengineering. “Some research on the subjec done
though, much of it has been focused on its potential impacts on global climate patterns rather
than on its specific effects in Pakistan.” (Pakistan needs to explore solar geoengineering
potential 2023)

The second issue is marine geoengineering which is defined as a deliberate attempt to

manipulate natural processes, including to counteract anthropogenic climate change and its
impacts. Marine geoengineering includes various techniques including ocean fertilization, SRM,
and CDR. Phytoplankton species release dimethyl sulfide (DMS) forming sulfate aerosols in the
atmosphere which reflect sunlight and enhance cloud cover causing cooling. This cooling effect
coupled with phytoplankton’s carbon dioxide absorption, makes ocean fertilization using
nutrients like iron sulfide to stimulate the growth of phytoplankton, an appealing
geoengineering method. According to Chein Wang, a senior research scientist at MIT’s Center
for Global Change Science and the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
"Our work is the first in-depth analysis of ocean fertilization that has highlighted the potential
danger of impacting rainfall adversely." (Mark Dwortzan 2015). According to the International
Maritime Organization, Parties to the treaties which regulate the dumping of wastes at sea
have adopted a statement need to carefully evaluate marine geoengineering techniques, which
may have the potential to mitigate the effects of climate change but may have adverse impacts
on the marine environment. This provides us with a global perspective regarding the issue. It is
also said that high-risk geoengineering programs are violating a moratorium passed by the UN
on ocean fertilization. “The UN Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) passed a moratorium on ocean
fertilization in 2008, and a moratorium on all forms of geoengineering (including open-air
research) in 2010 [1]” (Geoengineering Threatens Oceans 8). According to an article I read on
china dialogue the glaciers of china are shrinking rapidly since the 1990 and so in August 2020
China launched its first attempt to use geoengineering to stop the melting of glaciers. Besides
this Chile and Peru also contravene the London Convention and CBD moratoria therefore
Oceaneos presents their activities as “Ocean seeding”(a marine geoengineering technique)
arguing that it is a method to increase fish stocks. Research into marine geoengineering
requires huge funds and so till date Pakistan has not tried to research into this technique
despite forming its southern border with the Arabian sea.
The problems associated with these issues can be resolved on several levels. To solve the
problems linked with these issues the main course of action is setting up large research centers
across the globe that experiment with different climate engineering techniques hoping to have
a detailed account of all possible long and short-term consequences linked with their
implementation. This would help get a better response from citizens of different countries
across the globe. On a national level, each country should focus on cutting down its greenhouse
emissions significantly. This can be achieved by the formation and implementation of strict laws
by the government on all industries regarding their carbon dioxide emissions. Launching
campaigns to encourage nationals to switch towards public transport will further help reduce
greenhouse emissions as a lesser number of vehicles will be used. This would ensure that the
damage to the climate of the earth does not increase with time. On a local level, each individual
should focus on living a sustainable life. Individuals should reduce their energy consumption,
embrace renewable energy resources, and adopt eco-friendly habits. They should also switch to
other alternatives to fossil fuels so that the harm to the environment is minimized.

One of the sources that I used was from Legal Response International. The LRI has won the
Financial Times European Innovative Lawyer award and is a registered online charity. It is well-
reputed, credible and reliable. Another source that I cited about my topic was from the United
Nations Organization’s website. The UNO is an international organization that has proved to be
well-grounded showing no signs of vested interest in its performance over the years. Most of
the sources used in this report are quite recent except the article written by Mark Dwortzan,
MIT as it dates back to 2015 hence the mentioned information may not apply to today’s world.
A reference was also added from an article in The New York Times which is an American daily
newspaper and dates back to 1851. The article includes some predictions along with evidence
from the UNO which ensures that it is extremely reliable. Besides this, the author of the article,
David Keith is well known for his experience and this further removes any doubt of the article
being a bias. I also used a source from another Famous American newspaper, The Washington
Post which is the most widely circulated paper in Washington which confirms its credibility. I
consulted the Daily Times Pakistan for my local perspective. This newspaper was owned by the
Governor of Punjab and a member of Pakistan’s People's Party hence the paper may be vested
as the information is not coming from a neutral, well-reputed, third party. My report also
contains sources from The Australian Organization, Friends of the Earth which campaigns on
today’s most urgent environmental and social issues. This organization is extremely reliable and
has been given a 99 percent score in credibility. Moreover, a few other sources were also used
from other reliable organizations that did not show any signs of being biased.
Before conducting this research, I thought that climate engineering would not have any adverse
impacts on the ecosystems however after going through a few articles my views changed
completely. In my opinion climate geoengineering involves a long path of research before its
implementation is put into action for it to be called a success. I also learned that the percentage
of emissions released nationally does not directly correlate with the country's vulnerability to
the impacts of climate change. Nations with lower emissions are still vulnerable to climate
change, for example, Pakistan. Writing this individual report greatly enhanced my ability to
evaluate resources and verify citations. I also gained a much better understanding of my topic
by watching various documentaries regarding the different techniques involved in climate
engineering. After learning about the impacts of climate change because of human activities, I
concluded that it is the responsibility of every citizen to live their lives sustainably to protect the
planet.
From my conducted research I got to understand that climate engineering is a controversial
concept that is aimed at mitigating climate change. It presents both potential benefits and
significant risks. While it offers potential solutions to counteract global warming through
various geoengineering techniques its implementation requires extensive research,
international cooperation, and close consideration of ethical and environmental implications.
Managing a balance between potential benefits and unknown consequences remains a crucial
consideration in any discussions related to climate engineering. Although climate engineering
offers potential solutions to reduce the already caused damage, reducing emissions is still
considered a cornerstone for long-term sustainable change. I also realized that if humanity fails
to implement required measures to mitigate these challenges it would jeopardize the
habitability of our planet for our future generations.
(1804 words)

Bibliography
n.d. ‘No-harm rule’ and climate change. Accessed January 1, 2024.
https://legalresponse.org/legaladvice/no-harm-rule-and-climate-change/#:~:text=The%20no
%2Dharm%20rule%20is,environmental%20harm%20to%20other%20states.

Birnbaum, Micheal. 2023. A ‘climate solution’ that spies worry could trigger war. Febraury 27. Accessed
January 15, 2024.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/02/27/geoengineering-security-
war/.

Brent, Kerryn Anne. 2021. Solar Geoengineering Is Prohibited under International Law. june 15. Accessed
January 1, 2024. https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/debating-climate-law/solar-
geoengineering-is-prohibited-under-international-law/B589C5ECC5F83A0C7864C07B82270132.

2017. Climate engineering is risky, but should be explored, experts say at UN conference. november 16.
Accessed October 1, 2023. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2017/11/climate-
engineering-risky-explored-experts-say-un-conference/.

8. Geoengineering Threatens Oceans. june 2020. Accessed February 8, 2024.

https://www.foe.org.au/geoengineering_threatens_oceans.

Keith, David. 2021. What’s the Least Bad Way to Cool the Planet? October 1. Accessed November 2,
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Mark Dwortzan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 2015. Researchers find unintended

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2023. Pakistan needs to explore solar geoengineering potential. April 3. Accessed January 15, 2024.
https://dailytimes.com.pk/1080059/pakistan-needs-to-explore-solar-geoengineering-potential/.