By Brad Plumer

The Washington Post

Oct. 4, 2011

Geoengineering has always been the wacky, mad-scientist climate scheme no one wants to discuss. Sure, the idea sounds simple enough: If the world can’t wean itself off fossil fuels quickly enough, then maybe there’s a way to artificially cool the planet to avoid the worst effects of global warming. But the practical concerns are far from simple. What if there are unforeseen side effects? Who gets to control the sun-blocking technology? It’s no wonder that most experts who fret about climate change would rather just sidestep the topic and focus on Plan A, reducing greenhouse-gas emissions the old-fashioned way.

(Associated Press) In recent years, however, a growing number of scientists and climate experts have converged on the view that we really might have to start taking that mad-scientist idea seriously, especially if emissions keep rising. On Tuesday, an 18-member panel of scientists and former government officials convened by the Bipartisan Policy Center released a report urging a big national research push on geoengineering. Although the report notes that reducing carbon emissions should still be the main focus of efforts to avert drastic global warming, it argues that we’ve reached the point where we should at least be thinking about Plan B. Seems harmless, no? Except, as it turns out, even basic research into geoengineering can prove surprisingly contentious.

Read the full article here

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Energy Project, Task Force on Geoengineering, Energy Innovation Initiative