Right now, a group of scientists is working on ways to minimize
the catastrophic impact of global warming. But they're not
designing hybrids or fuel cells or wind turbines. They're trying to
lower the temperature of the entire planet. And they're doing it
with huge contraptions that suck CO2 from the air, machines that
brighten clouds and deflect sunlight away from Earth, even
artificial volcanoes that spray heat-reflecting particles into the
atmosphere. This is the radical and controversial world of
geoengineering, which only five years ago was considered fringe.
But as Jeff Goodell points out, the economic crisis, combined with
global political realities, is making these projects look sane,
even inspired. Geoengineering may just be our last best hope --
Plan B for the environment. Goodell himself started out as a
skeptic, concerned about tinkering with the planet's thermostat. We
can't even predict next week's weather, so how are we going to
change the temperature of whole regions? What if a wealthy
entrepreneur or philanthropist sends a solar shield into space on
his own? Who gets blamed if something goes terribly wrong? Perhaps
most disturbing, what about wars waged with climate control as the
primary weapon? "How to Cool the Planet" is a timely and thoughtful
attempt to answer these and other urgent questions. Goodell's
compelling tale of scientific hubris and technical daring is sure
to jump-start the next big debate about the future of life on
Earth.
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